Brain stimulation therapy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11724110-B2
Application number	US-202017036957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2020
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A stimulation therapy system dynamically modifies therapy intensity based on measured neurotransmitter levels. In some examples, the system delivers, via an electrode implanted in a brain of a patient and stimulation circuitry, an electrical stimulus; monitors an electrical current generated by the stimulation circuitry to deliver the electrical stimulus; determines, based on the electrical current, a value representative of a concentration of dopamine in the brain of the patient; determines, based on the value representative of the concentration of dopamine, a value for one or more stimulation parameters that at least partially define electrical stimulation therapy; and delivers, via the electrode, the electrical stimulation therapy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
delivering, via an electrode implanted in a brain of a patient and stimulation circuitry, electrical stimulation therapy comprising an electrical stimulus;
monitoring an electrical current generated by the stimulation circuitry to deliver the electrical stimulus;
determining, based on the electrical current, a value representative of a concentration of dopamine in the brain of the patient;
determining, based on the value representative of the concentration of dopamine, a value for one or more stimulation parameters that at least partially define subsequent electrical stimuli of the electrical stimulation therapy; and
delivering, via the electrode, the subsequent electrical stimuli of the electrical stimulation therapy according to the value of the one or more stimulation parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
delivering the electrical stimulus comprises delivering the electrical stimulus via an electrode combination that includes the electrode.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrode is a first electrode, and wherein:
delivering the electrical stimulus comprises delivering the electrical stimulus via a first electrode combination comprising the first electrode and a second electrode,
delivering the electrical stimulation therapy comprises delivering the electrical stimulation therapy via a second electrode combination comprising the first electrode and the second electrode, and
the first electrode combination is the same as the second electrode combination.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrode comprises a platinum-iridium electrode.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a first electrical stimulus, the electrical current comprises a first electrical current, the value comprises a first value, and the concentration comprises a first concentration, and wherein the method further comprises:
delivering, via the electrode implanted in the brain of the patient and the stimulation circuitry, a second electrical stimulus;
monitoring a second electrical current generated by the stimulation circuitry to deliver the second electrical stimulus; and
determining, based on the second electrical current, a second value representative of a second concentration of dopamine in the brain of the patient.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the electrical stimulation therapy comprises a first electrical stimulation therapy, wherein determining the second value representative of the second concentration of dopamine in the brain of the patient comprises determining that the second concentration of dopamine exceeds a threshold concentration, and wherein the method further comprises delivering, via the electrode, a second electrical stimulation therapy, wherein a second voltage of the second electrical stimulation therapy is less than a first voltage of the first electrical stimulation therapy.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the electrical stimulation therapy comprises a first electrical stimulation therapy, wherein determining the second value representative of the second concentration of dopamine in the brain of the patient comprises determining that the second concentration of dopamine is below a threshold concentration, and wherein the method further comprises delivering, via the electrode, a second electrical stimulation therapy, wherein a second voltage of the second electrical stimulation therapy is greater than a first voltage of the first electrical stimulation therapy.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a square wave, wherein delivering the electrical stimulus and delivering the electrical stimulation therapy further comprises:
increasing a pulse voltage of the electrical stimulus from a minimum voltage to a therapy-level voltage while monitoring the electrical current;
maintaining the pulse voltage at the therapy-level voltage for a predetermined duration; and
reducing the pulse voltage from the therapy-level voltage to the minimum voltage.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a triangle wave, wherein delivering the electrical stimulus and delivering the electrical stimulation therapy further comprises:
increasing a pulse voltage of the electrical stimulus from a minimum voltage to a therapy-level voltage while monitoring the electrical current; and
reducing the pulse voltage from the therapy-level voltage to the minimum voltage.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting, for display, the value representative of the concentration of dopamine in the brain of the patient.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising outputting, for display, therapy information comprising a time of therapy delivery or stimulation parameter values corresponding to dopamine measurements.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering the electrical stimulus comprises delivering a first electrical stimulus generated by stimulation circuitry via a first electrode implanted in a left hemisphere of the brain of the patient and delivering a second electrical stimulus generated by the stimulation circuitry via a second electrode implanted in a right hemisphere of the brain of the patient, wherein the method further comprises:
monitoring a first electrical current generated by the stimulation circuitry to deliver the first electrical stimulus and a second electrical current generated by the stimulation circuitry to deliver the second electrical stimulus;
determining, based on the first electrical current, a first value representative of a concentration of dopamine in the left hemisphere of the brain of the patient;
determining, based on the second electrical current, a second value representative of a concentration of dopamine in the right hemisphere of the brain of the patient; and
determining, based on the first value representative of the concentration of dopamine in the left hemisphere and the second value representative of the concentration of dopamine in the right hemisphere, a value for the one or more stimulation parameters that at least partially define the subsequent electrical stimuli of the electrical stimulation therapy.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more stimulation parameters comprise one or more first stimulation parameters defining a first waveform comprising first electrical pulses each comprising a first pulse shape, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining that at least one of the first electrical pulses violates a predetermined limit on pulse frequency or pulse-phase duration;
determining, in response to the determination that at least one of the first electrical pulses violates the predetermined limit on the pulse frequency or the pulse-phase duration, a second waveform comprising second electrical pulses each comprising a second pulse shape, wherein the second pulse shape is different from the first pulse shape; and
delivering, via the electrode, the electrical stimulation therapy, wherein the electrical stimulation therapy is at least partially defined by the second waveform.

14. A system comprising:
an electrode configured to be implanted in a brain of a patient;
stimulation circuitry; and
processing circuitry configured to:
cause the stimulation circuitry to deliver, via the electrode implanted in the brain of the patient, electrical stimulation therapy comprising an electrical stimulus;
monitor an electrical current generated by the stimulation circuitry to deliver the electrical stimulus;
determine, based on the electrical current, a value representative of a concentration of dopamine in the brain of

Assignees

• Medtronic Inc

Inventors

• Jackson Jadin C
• Shi Alan

Classifications

• A61N1/36139 Primary

  with automatic adjustment · CPC title

• A61N1/0534 Primary

  Electrodes for deep brain stimulation · CPC title

• A61N1/36153

  Voltage (A61N1/3616 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61N1/36157

  Current (A61N1/3616 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61N1/36164

  Sub-threshold or non-excitatory signals (non-excitatory signals to the heart A61N1/3628) · CPC title