Forschungszentrum Juelich Gmbh

Universitaet Zu Koeln

Anm Adaptive Neuromodulation Gmbh

Oleksandr Popovych

Peter Alexander Tass

Urban Schnell

Jean-Christophe Roulet

Hans-Joachim Freund

Birgit Utako Barnikol

Joel Niederhauser

Christian Hauptmann

Valerii Krachkovskyi

Markos Xenakis

A device and method is provided for stimulation of neurons. The device includes a stimulation unit that can be implanted into a body of a patient and has stimulation elements that apply a stimulation signal to tissue of the patient to stimulate neurons in the brain and/or the spinal cord of the patient. Moreover, a measuring unit receive a measurement signal that reflects a neuronal activity of the stimulated neurons. Further, a control unit generate a modulation signal from the measurement signal, and modulates an amplitude of a pulse train with the modulation signal. Individual pulses of the pulse train include a first and second pulse portions that introduce and remove charge from the tissue. Moreover, the control unit varies a pause between the pulse portions until the synchronization of the stimulated neurons is minimized or falls below a predetermined threshold.

Device and method for effective, invasive, and amplitude-modulated neurostimulation

A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity in which the neuron population is firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit that generates an acoustic stimulation signal that includes both a first tone and a second tone. The first tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a first subpopulation of the neuron population relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a second subpopulation of the neuron population when the first tone is acoustically received by the patient. Further, the second tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the second subpopulation relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the first subpopulation when the second tone is acoustically received by the patient. As a result, the acoustic stimulation signal desynchronizes the stimulated neuron population.

Device and method for auditory stimulation

A device that suppresses a pathological synchronous and oscillatory neuron activity, and includes a non-invasive stimulation unit implantable in a patient, for stimulation, using electrical and/or optical stimuli, of neurons in the patient's brain and/or spinal cord, where those neurons are showing pathologically synchronous and oscillatory neuron activity, and the stimuli are deigned to suppress are this activity when administered to the patient. Moreover, a measuring unit records measurement signals reflecting the neuron activity of the stimulated neurons and a control and analysis unit controls the stimulation unit to administer stimuli, check the success of stimulation based on the measurement, and, if the stimulation success is not sufficient, insert one or more stimulation breaks in the application of the stimuli or extend one or more stimulation breaks, where no stimuli that could suppress the pathological synchronous and oscillatory neuron activity are applied during the stimulation breaks.

Device for effective invasive desynchronizing neurostimulation

A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity involving a neuron population firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit configured to generate an acoustic stimulation signal to stimulate the neuron population when the acoustic stimulation signal is aurally received by the patient. Furthermore, the acoustic stimulation signal has a first frequency and a second frequency, with the first frequency provided to reset the phase of the neuronal brain activity in a first sub-population of the stimulated neuron population, and the second frequency provided to reset the phase of the neuronal brain activity in a second sub-population of the stimulated neuron population.

A device for decoupling and/or desynchronizing neural, pathologically synchronous brain activity, in which, the activities in a partial region of a brain area or a functionally associated brain area are stimulated by means of an electrode, resulting in decoupling and desynchronizing the affected neuron population from the pathological area and suppression of the symptoms in a patient. In an alternative embodiment of the device, the pathologically synchronous brain activity due to the disease is desynchronized which also leads to the symptoms being suppressed. The device has a stimulation electrode and at least one sensor which are driven by a control system in such a manner that they produce decoupling and/or desynchronization in their local environment.

Method and device for decoupling and/or desynchronizing neural brain activity

The invention relates to an apparatus for desynchronization of neural illness-synchronous brain activity in which the activities in at least two subareas of a brain area or at least two functionally associated brain areas are stimulated by means of at least two electrodes. In the case of a person with an illness, desynchronization therapy suppresses symptoms in the relevant neuron population. The feedback stimulation signal, that is to say the measured, time-delayed and process neural activity, is used as an individual stimulus. This results in self-regulated, demand control of the amplitude of the stimulation signal, thus minimizing the intensity of the stimulation stimuli automatically after successful desynchronization. The apparatus has at least two stimulation electrodes and at least one sensor, which are driven by a controller such that they result in desynchronization in their local environment.

Growing community of inventors

Dueren, Germany

Oleksandr Popovych