Brain fluid ion concentration modification for treating neurological disorders
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorsJohan F. M. Gijsbers, Frans L. H. Gielen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Epilepsy and other neurological disorders that are affected by the electrical potential difference between intracellular fluid and extra-cellular fluid and therefore the cell membrane potentials, and therefore the thresholds for the communication between brain cells can be controlled by re-circulating extra-cellular brain fluid after the fluid has been treated to alter its ion concentrations. A computer-controlled pump can precisely control the extraction and delivery of brain fluid after the ion concentration of the fluid is appropriately adjusted, e.g. guided by the Goldmann equation. Well-known techniques for modifying ion concentrations can be used to raise or lower ion concentrations as needed.
Claims21
Apparatus for controlling epileptic seizures comprising:
- a brain fluid pumping mechanism having an input adapted to be coupled to a patient's brain for extracting brain fluid, and an output;
- a fluid ion adjustment mechanism for adjusting ion-concentration of fluid, the fluid ion adjustment mechanism being coupled to the output of the brain fluid pumping mechanism, the fluid ion adjustment mechanism having an output from which ion-adjusted fluid is produced;
- a catheter having an input coupled to the output of the ion adjustment mechanism and having an output adapted to be inserted into a predetermined region of a patient's brain whereby ion-adjusted fluid can be re-injected into the brain.
Apparatus for treating epilepsy and other neurological disorders of the brain comprising:
- means for substantially continuously extracting fluid from the brain of the patient;
- means for modifying ion concentrations of the fluid to render modulated ion-content fluid using a predetermined process;
- means for substantially continuously pumping the modulated ion-content fluid back into a localized region of the patient's brain;
- means for monitoring the ion concentration of brain fluid proximate to the region where the modulated ion-content fluid is returned to the patient's brain.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.