Variable frequency stimulation therapy method and implantable medical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016184589-A1
Application number	US-201514700073-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 31, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an electrical stimulation therapy method. The method includes applying a variable frequency stimulation pulse to target nerve tissue of the patient, wherein the variable frequency stimulation pulse comprises at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains at different frequencies; the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains alternately stimulate target nerve tissue and form a plurality of pulse train periods; and each of the at least two kinds of alternate electrical stimulation pulse trains in each of the plurality of pulse train periods has a duration in a range from about 0.1 seconds to about 60 minutes. An implantable medical device for generating the variable frequency stimulation pulse is also related.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrical stimulation therapy method for neurological disease of a patient, the method comprising:
implanting a lead in a brain of the patient so that at least one stimulation contactor of the lead contact with a target nerve tissue of the patient directly; coupling the lead to a pulse generator; and applying a variable frequency stimulation pulse to target nerve tissue of the patient by the pulse generator and the lead, wherein the variable frequency stimulation pulse comprises at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains at different frequencies; the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains alternately stimulate the target nerve tissue and form a plurality of pulse train periods; and each of the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains in each of the plurality of pulse train periods has a duration in a range from about 0.1 seconds to about 60 minutes.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient is a Parkinson patient suffering a motor symptom and a non-motor symptom; the variable frequency stimulation pulse comprises a first electrical stimulation pulse train with a first frequency and a second electrical stimulation pulse train with a second frequency; the first electrical stimulation pulse train with the first frequency is configured to improve the motor symptom; and the second electrical stimulation pulse train with the second frequency is configured to discourage the non-motor symptom.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the motor symptom is at least one of tremors and rigidity; the non-motor symptom is one of dysarthria, freezing of gait and dyskinesia; the first frequency is in a range from about 90 Hz to about 400 Hz; and the second frequency is in a range from about 10 Hz to about 90 Hz.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the Parkinson patient adapts to a constant frequency stimulation pulse; and the variable frequency stimulation pulse is configured to discourage or eliminate the non-motor symptom, and prevent the Parkinson patient from adapting to the constant frequency stimulation pulse on the condition of improving the motor symptom.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising adjusting an amplitude of the variable frequency stimulation pulse, wherein the amplitude is adjusted in a range from about 0 V to about 10 V at a voltage mode; or the amplitude is adjusted in a range from about 0 mA to about 10 mA at a current mode.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the adjusting the amplitude of the variable frequency stimulation pulse comprises making the first electrical stimulation pulse train and the second electrical stimulation pulse train have different amplitudes.

7 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising adjusting a pulse width of the variable frequency stimulation pulse, wherein the pulse width is adjusted in a range from about 0 μs to about 1000 μS.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the adjusting the pulse width of the variable frequency stimulation pulse comprises making the first electrical stimulation pulse train and the second electrical stimulation pulse train have different pulse widths.

9 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising adjusting a time ratio of the first electrical stimulation pulse train and the second electrical stimulation pulse train.

10 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising optimizing at least one of the first frequency and the second frequency by a frequency scan function of the pulse generator.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the duration is in a range from about 0.1 seconds to about 30 minutes; a frequency of each of the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains is in a range from about 10 Hz to about 400 Hz; a quantity of the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains is N, wherein 2≦N≦10; and a time ratio of each of the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains is greater than 5%.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the duration is in a range from about 3 seconds to about 60 seconds; the frequency of each of the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains is in a range from about 30 Hz to about 250 Hz; N=2 or 3; and the time ratio of each of the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains is greater than 10%.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein there is a time space between adjacent two electrical stimulation pulse trains or between adjacent two pulse train periods, and the time space is in a range from about 0.01 seconds to about 60 minutes.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an order of the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains in each of the plurality of pulse train periods is from high frequency to low frequency, from low frequency to high frequency, or at random.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the variable frequency stimulation pulse is configured to treat nerve diseases related to movement or nerve diseases related to cognitive and psychology.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the nerve diseases related to movement is Parkinson disease or dystonia; and the nerve diseases related to cognitive and psychology is depression or habituation.

17 . An electrical stimulation therapy method, the method comprising:
applying a variable frequency stimulation pulse to target nerve tissue, wherein the variable frequency stimulation pulse comprises at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains at different frequencies; and the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains alternately stimulate the target nerve tissue.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the variable frequency stimulation pulse is applied to the target nerve tissue of a Parkinson patient and configured to discourage or eliminate at least one non-motor symptom on the condition of improving a motor symptom of the Parkinson patient.

19 . An implantable medical device for treating a patient, comprising:
a lead configured to apply a variable frequency stimulation pulse to target nerve tissue of a patient; a pulse generator configured to generate the variable frequency stimulation pulse and deliver the variable frequency stimulation pulse to the lead; and a programmer configured to control the pulse generator; wherein the variable frequency stimulation pulse comprises at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains at different frequencies; the at least two kinds of electrical stimulation pulse trains alternately stimulate the target nerve tissue and form a plurality of pulse train periods; and each of the at least two kinds of alternate electrical stimulation pulse trains in each of the plurality of pulse train periods has a duration in a range from about 0.1 seconds to about 60 minutes.

20 . The implantable medical device of claim 19 , wherein the pulse generator has a frequency scan function; when a frequency scan range is set as F 1 min˜F 1 max, a scan precision is set as S 1 , and a scan time is set as T 1 ; the pulse generator generates a plurality of constant frequency stimulation pulses one by one at the frequencies of F 1 min, F 1 min+S 1 , F 1 min+2S 1 , F 1 min+3S 1 . . . F 1 min+nS 1 and F 1 max, wherein n is natural number and satisfies the formula: n≦(F 1 max−F 1 min)/S 1 ; and each of the plurality of constant frequency stimulation pulses has an entire duration of T 1 .

21 . The implantable medical device of claim 19 , wherein the pulse generator has a frequency scan function; when a frequency scan range is

Assignees

• Univ Tsinghua

Inventors

• Li lu-ming
• Jia fu-min
• Qian Xing
• Wan Sen
• Hao hong-wei

Classifications

• A61N1/37264

  Changing the program; Upgrading firmware · CPC title

• A61N1/36171

  Frequency · CPC title

• A61N1/36067 Primary

  Movement disorders, e.g. tremor or Parkinson disease (stimulating motor muscle A61N1/36003) · CPC title

• A61N1/36189

  using modulation techniques · CPC title

• A61N1/36146

  specified by the stimulation parameters · CPC title