Method and apparatus for stimulating the sphenopalatine ganglion to modify properties of the BBB and cerebral blood flow
AssigneeBrainsgate Ltd.
InventorsAlon Shalev, Yossi Gross
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Abstract
Apparatus for modifying a property of a brain of a patient is provided, including one or more electrodes (7), adapted to be applied to a site selected from a group of sites consisting of: a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) (6) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG. A control unit (8) is adapted to drive the one or more electrodes to apply a current to the site capable of inducing (a) an increase in permeability of a blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the patient, (b) a change in cerebral blood flow of the patient, and/or (c) an inhibition of parasympathetic activity of the SPG.
Claims48
Apparatus for modifying a property of a brain of a patient, comprising:
- one or more electrodes, adapted to be applied to a site selected from a group of sites consisting of:
- a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG;
- and
- a control unit, adapted to drive the one or more electrodes to apply a current to the site capable of inducing an increase in permeability of a blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the patient,
- wherein the control unit is adapted to configure the current to induce parasympathetic activation of the site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.