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US 9,744,363 B2Granted
Non-regular electrical stimulation patterns for treating neurological disorders
AssigneeDuke University
InventorsWarren M. Grill, Jr., Alan D. Dorval, II
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Abstract
Systems and methods for stimulation of neurological tissue generate stimulation trains with temporal patterns of stimulation, in which the interval between electrical pulses (the inter-pulse intervals) changes or varies over time. Compared to conventional continuous, high rate pulse trains having regular (i.e., constant) inter-pulse intervals, the non-regular (i.e., not constant) pulse patterns or trains that embody features of the invention provide a lower average frequency.
Claims4
A method comprising:
- (i) for a given temporal pattern of stimulation having an efficacy (E) and an efficiency (f), quantitatively balancing E and f to effect changes in neuronal firing patterns, based upon a selected computational model, to generate non-regular temporal patterns of stimulation with a clinically beneficial cost in comparison to constant-frequency waveforms wherein the generated temporal patterns give greater weight to E,
- (ii) subjecting the generated temporal patterns to a genetic algorithm to create new generations of temporal patterns bred from the generated temporal patterns,
- (iii) selecting a non-regular pulse train from among the new generations of temporal patterns;
- and
- (iv) applying the selected non-regular pulse train to a brain using an implantable pulse generator to treat a neurological symptom.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.