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US 9,002,472 B2Granted
Neuromodulation having non-linear dynamics
AssigneesIntelect Medical, Inc., The Rockefeller University
InventorsScott Kokones, Bradford Curtis Fowler, Donald Pfaff, Amy Wells Quinkert
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Abstract
Methods, apparatuses, and software for operating such apparatuses, for neuromodulation in a live mammalian subject, such as a human patient, provide for applying electrical energy to a target site in the nervous system of the subject using a signal comprising a series of pulses, wherein the inter-pulse intervals are varied using the output of a deterministic, non-linear, dynamical system comprising one or more system control parameters. In certain embodiments, the target site may be a site in the brain involved in generalized CNS (central nervous system) arousal. The dynamical system may be capable of exhibiting chaotic behavior.
Claims34
A computer-implemented method for neuromodulation in a live mammalian subject, comprising:
- triggering, by a processor, a leadwire to apply energy to a site in a nervous system of the subject in a series of pulses, wherein:
- inter-pulse intervals between the pulses vary;
- the triggering includes selecting, by the processor, the varying inter-pulse intervals according to output of an equation that defines a deterministic, non-linear, dynamical system of its output as varying over time by iterative execution of the equation using output of each iteration of its execution as input for its immediately succeeding iteration of its execution;
- a coefficient of variation in the inter-pulse intervals is less than 1.0;
- and
- the equation is one of:
- defined to produce output over time by its iterative execution such that the output over time exhibits chaotic behavior, the dynamical system having a positive Lyapunov exponent;
- x(n+1)=Rxn (1−xn);
- a combination of
- xn+1=1−αx2n+yn
- and
- yn+1=βxn;
- and a combination of
- Pn+1=Pn+K sin(θn+1)
- and
- θn+1=θn+Pn+1.
13 more elements
A computer-implemented method for neuromodulation in a live mammalian subject, comprising:
- triggering, by a processor, a leadwire to apply energy to a site in a nervous system of the subject in a series of pulses;
- obtaining feedback data from the subject;
- and
- modifying the neuromodulation according to the feedback data;
- wherein:
- inter-pulse intervals between the pulses vary;
- the triggering includes selecting, by the processor, the varying inter-pulse intervals according to output of an equation that defines a deterministic, non-linear, dynamical system of its output as varying over time by iterative execution of the equation using output of each iteration of its execution as input for its immediately succeeding iteration of its execution;
- a coefficient of variation in the inter-pulse intervals is less than 1.0;
- and
- modifying the neuromodulation comprises using a different set of output from the dynamical system to vary the inter-pulse intervals.
7 more elements
A computer-implemented method for neuromodulation in a live mammalian subject, comprising:
- triggering, by a processor, a leadwire to apply energy to a site in a nervous system of the subject in a series of pulses;
- obtaining feedback data from the subject;
- and
- modifying the neuromodulation according to the feedback data;
- wherein:
- inter-pulse intervals between the pulses vary;
- the triggering includes selecting, by the processor, the varying inter-pulse intervals according to output of an equation that defines a deterministic, non-linear, dynamical system of its output as varying over time by iterative execution of the equation using output of each iteration of its execution as input for its immediately succeeding iteration of its execution;
- a coefficient of variation in the inter-pulse intervals is less than 1.0;
- obtaining the feedback data comprises detecting neural activity in arousal-related neurons in the subject's brain;
- and
- modifying the neuromodulation comprises stopping or reducing the intensity of the applied energy upon the detection of orderly neural activity in the arousal-related neurons.
8 more elements
A neuromodulation apparatus comprising:
- an electrode comprising an electrode contact;
- and
- a pulse generator coupled to the electrode;
- wherein:
- the pulse generator is programmed to apply an electrical signal to the electrode contact for applying energy to a site in a nervous system of a subject;
- the electrical signal comprises a series of pulses with inter-pulse intervals that are varied;
- the pulse generator is configured to select the varying inter-pulse intervals according to output of an equation that defines a deterministic, non-linear, dynamical system of its output as varying over time by iterative execution of the equation using output of each iteration of its execution as input for its immediately succeeding iteration of its execution;
- the coefficient of variation in the inter-pulse intervals is less than 1.0;
- and
- the equation is one of:
- defined to produce output over time by its iterative execution such that the output over time exhibits chaotic behavior, the dynamical system having a positive Lyapunov exponent;
- x(n+1)=Rxn (1−xn);
- a combination of
- xn+1=1−αx2n+yn and yn+1=βxn;
- and a combination of
- Pn+1=Pn+K sin(θn+1)
- and
- θn+1=θn+Pn+1.
15 more elements
A computer-implemented method for neuromodulation in a live mammalian subject, comprising:
- iteratively executing, by a computer processor, a difference equation whose output, after output of a first of the iterations, is calculated using a value of a prior output of the difference equation as an input of the difference equation;
- and
- triggering, by the processor, a leadwire to apply electrical energy to a site in a nervous system of the subject in a series of pulses whose inter-pulse intervals vary, wherein the triggering is performed based on the iterative execution such that each of the inter-pulse intervals is a respective value output by a respective executed iteration of the equation;
- wherein:
- a coefficient of variation in the inter-pulse intervals is less than 1.0;
- and
- the equation is one of:
- defined to produce output over time by its iterative execution such that the output over time exhibits chaotic behavior, the dynamical system having a positive Lyapunov exponent;
- X(n+1)=Rxn(1−xn);
- a combination of
- xn+1=1−αx2n+yn
- and
- yn+1=βxn;
- and a combination of
- Pn+1=Pn+K sin(θn+1)
- and
- θn+1=θn+Pn+1.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.