US 5,215,086 A · Therapeutic treatment of migraine symptoms by stimulation

Abstract

Method and apparatus for treating and controlling migraine by selectively applying a predetermined electrical signal to the patient's vagus nerve for stimulation thereof to alleviate the migraine attack. The signal is a pulse waveform having parameters programmed to desynchronize the patient's EEG if paroxysmal activity is detected in the EEG, or to synchronize the EEG if low voltage fast wave activity is detected. Alternatively, the application of the stimulating signal to the vagus nerve may be initiated manually by the patient upon recognition of the onset of a migraine attack. The neurostimulator device implanted in the patient to generate the appropriate signal has a power down circuit to conserve battery power between migraine episodes.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A therapeutic method of treating symptoms of migraine in patients experiencing migraine attacks, which includes the steps of:

detecting a physiological symptom associated with onset of a migraine attack in a patient under treatment, and
in response to detection of such symptom, selectively applying a programmed electrical stimulus to the patient's vagus nerve for modulating the electrical activity of preselected fibers of the vagus nerve in a manner to alleviate the migraine attack.

A method of treating patients suffering from migraine episodes, which includes the steps of:

providing an electrical stimulus generator with an electrical output signal having parameters which are programmable within respective ranges predetermined, when the programmed output signal is properly applied to the vagus nerve of the patient, to relieve symptoms of migraine, and adapting the stimulus generator to generate its output signal upon selective activation of the stimulus generator,
implanting the stimulus generator in the patient's body, and implanting a nerve electrode to receive the output signal of the stimulus generator on the vagus nerve of the patient, and
programming at least some of the programmable parameters of the output signal of the stimulus generator according to the nature of the migraine suffered by the particular patient under treatment to modulate the electrical activity of the vagus nerve in a predetermined manner, upon activation of the stimulus generator and consequent application of the programmed output signal thereof to the vagus nerve through the nerve electrode implanted thereon, to alleviate symptoms of a migraine episode experienced by the patient.

Apparatus for therapy of patients suffering from migraine by treating symptoms of the migraine associated, in some patients, with a synchronized EEG and, in other patients, with a desynchronized EEG, in which the apparatus includes an implantable programmable neurostimulator device adapted to generate a programmed electrical output signal upon activation of the device, and an implantable electrical lead assembly connectable at its proximal end to the neurostimulator device to receive the programmed output signal thereof and having an electrode at its distal end adapted to be secured to the patient's vagus nerve for electrical excitation of the nerve to modulate the electrical activity of the nerve, characterized in that the apparatus further includes:

sensor means electrically coupled to the neurostimulator device for detecting the occurrence of a predetermined symptom of the migraine,
activator means responsive to detection of such occurrence for activating the neurostimulator device to apply its programmed electrical output signal to the electrical lead assembly,
the neurostimulator device including means for rendering the output signal parameters thereof programmable only within respective ranges preselected for desynchronizing or synchronizing the patient's EEG according to the specific nature of the migraine suffered by the particular patient under treatment, whereby when the output signal is so programmed and the activator means detects the occurrence of the predetermined symptom of the migraine, the electrical activity of the vagus nerve is modulated to desynchronize or synchronize the patient's EEG according to the selected programming so as to relieve the detected symptom of the migraine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Therapeutic treatment of migraine symptoms by stimulation

Life of this patent

Therapeutic treatment of migraine symptoms by stimulation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18