Enhanced therapeutic stimulus system and methods of use

A system for stimulating a central pattern generator and a trigeminal nerve in a brain of a human subject, such stimulation influencing brain response or brain development including repair of the brain, control of respiration, control of a non-nutritive suck pattern, mastication, and combinations thereof, the system comprising:

• an orofacial stimulator appliance that, when actuated in response to a signal, generates a mechanical transfer of energy in at least one burst as an impulse sufficient to be recognized as a tactile stimulus by the subject's central pattern generator;
• wherein each burst comprises at least two square wave pulses of the same amplitude with the pulse period increasing with each successive pulse to form a decelerating pulse train sequence;
• and,
• wherein the square wave pulses range in frequency between 1.5 Hz and 5 Hz and are contacted with the subject for at least two minutes each day, at least twice a day for a minimum of five successive days.

A method for stimulating a central pattern generator and a trigeminal nerve in an adult human brain of an adult subject, such stimulation influencing brain response or brain development including repair of the brain, control of respiration, control of a non-nutritive suck pattern, mastication, and combinations thereof, the method comprising:

• contacting the adult subject with an appliance to stimulate one or more nerve ending near the subject's mouth, including the facial region proximal to at least one lip and a tongue;
• and,
• actuating the appliance in response to a signal to generate a mechanical transfer of energy in at least one burst as an impulse sufficient to be recognized as a tactile stimulus by the subject's central pattern generator;
• wherein each burst comprises at least two square wave pulses of the same amplitude with the pulse period increasing with each successive pulse to form a decelerating pulse train sequence;
• and,
• wherein the square wave pulses range in frequency between 1.5 Hz and 5 Hz.

A method of using a square wave to stimulate the central pattern generator nerve, the method comprising:

• contacting a human subject with an appliance to stimulate one or more nerve ending near the subject's mouth, including the facial region proximal to at least one lip and a tongue;
• and,
• actuating the appliance in response to a signal to generate a mechanical transfer of energy in at least one burst as an impulse sufficient to be recognized as a tactile stimulus by the subject's central pattern generator;
• wherein each burst comprises at least two square wave pulses of the same amplitude with the pulse period increasing with each successive pulse to form a decelerating pulse train sequence;
• wherein the square wave pulses range in frequency between 1.5 Hz and 5 Hz;
• and,
• wherein at least six bursts in succession are contacted with the subject for at least two minutes, at least twice a day.