Forschungszentrum Juelich Gmbh

Forschungszentrum Julich Gmbh

Universitaet Zu Koeln

Gretap Ag

Anm Adaptive Neuromodulation Gmbh

Other

Leland Stanford Junior University

UniversitÄt Zu Koln

Tass, Peter

Peter Alexander Tass

Urban Schnell

Jean-Christophe Roulet

Oleksandr Popovych

Hans-Joachim Freund

Birgit Utako Barnikol

Christian Hauptmann

Joel Niederhauser

Magteld Zeitler

Laetitia Mayor

Karim Haroud

Jean-Noel Fehr

Markus C Haller

Michael Schiek

Heinz Rongen

Thomas Von Bueren

Gerald R Popelka

Valerii Krachkovskyi

Karl Ziemons

Volker Sturm

Stefan Fischer

Bernhard Pelz

Marcus Goetz

Thomas Von Büren

Markos Xenakis

Markus Haller

Joël Niederhauser

The present invention pertains to a medical treatment device for stimulating neurons of a patient to suppress a pathologically synchronous activity, the device comprises at least three non-invasive stimulating units for generating stimuli to a patient's body, and a control unit for selectively and intermittently actuating the stimulating units in a sequence of actuating periods. The control unit is configured to, across the sequence of actuating periods, variedly determine for each actuating period a number n of stimulating units to be simultaneously actuated during the respective actuating period.

Medical treatment device and method for stimulating neurons of a patient to suppress a pathologically synchronous activity thereof

A device and method are provided for treating a patient with vibration and/or tactile and/or thermal stimuli. The device includes first and second stimulating units for generating first and second stimuli respectively. The stimuli are vibration and/or tactile and/or thermal stimuli, and each of the stimuli is repeated on average at a frequency of 1 to 60 Hz. The stimuli are generated partly at different times.

Apparatus and method for treating a patient using vibration stimuli, tactile stimuli and/or thermal stimuli

A device for stimulating neurons that includes a stimulation unit that applies mechanically tactile and/or thermal stimuli to the body surface of a patient that stimulate neurons with a pathologically synchronous and oscillatory neural activity. The device includes a measuring unit that records measurement signals of neural activity of the stimulated neurons, and a controller that controls the stimulation unit and analyzes the measurement signals. The controller actuates the stimulation unit to scan at least one part of the body surface of the patient along a path and thereby periodically applies stimuli and also selects two regions or more regions on the patient's body surface along the path where the phase synchronization between the periodic application of the stimuli and the neural activity of the stimulated neurons have a local maximum using the measurement signals. The stimuli are then applied in a delayed manner in the two regions.

Device and method for calibrating a non-invasive mechanically tactile and/or thermal neurostimulation

An apparatus for stimulating neurons that includes a stimulation unit for applying pulse-like tones, a measuring unit for picking up measurement signals that render neural activity by the stimulated neurons, a control. The control unit applies a first pulse train having varied pitch, takes the measurement signals picked up in response to the first pulse train to select a first pitch range or pitch in which there is phase synchronization between the pulse train and the neural activity, actuates the stimulation unit to apply two phase-shifted second pulse trains, the pitch of the pulse trains being varied in opposite directions and a pitch starting value of the second pulse trains based on first pitch range or pitch that is used to select a second pitch range or pitch resulting in minimum amplitude of the neural activity.

Apparatus and method for calibrating acoustic desynchronizing neurostimulation

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 for stimulation of a patient with acoustic stimulation signals includes a stimulation unit for generating acoustic stimulation signals and a control unit for controlling the stimulation unit. The control unit is configured so that it determines a bandwidth of an auditory filter with a frequency of a predetermined tone as a center frequency, wherein this bandwidth is a reference bandwidth. The control unit determines a frequency of a first acoustic therapy signal such that a measure of coverage between the reference bandwidth around the frequency of the predetermined tone and a first bandwidth of an auditory filter with the frequency of the first acoustic therapy signal as a center frequency assumes a predetermined first value, and controls the stimulation unit such that the stimulation unit generates the first acoustic therapy signal.

Device and method for hearing threshold-adapted acoustic stimulation

A device is provide for stimulating neurons. The device includes a stimulation unit that is implantable into a patient's body and that includes multiple stimulation elements for stimulating neurons in a target area of the brain and/or spinal cord of the patient with stimuli. Moreover, the device includes a control unit that actuates the stimulation unit such that multiple groups of stimulation elements generate respective stimuli. In this aspect, each group includes multiple stimulation elements of the stimulation unit with two or more of the groups generating sequences of stimuli in a repetitive manner in a respective time pattern which includes successive cycles. Furthermore, the sequences of stimuli generated by the two or more groups differ in terms of the number of cycles in which the sequence in which the stimulation elements generate the stimuli within one sequence is constant and/or in terms of the duration of respective cycles.

Device and method for an effective invasive multi-segment neurostimulation

A device for stimulating neurons that includes a stimulation unit implantable in the body of a patient and having stimulation elements that stimulate neurons in the brain and/or spinal cord. A control unit controls the stimulation unit during first and second time intervals in different stimulation modes. The control unit controls the stimulation unit during 75% or more of the first time interval in the first stimulation mode to repeatedly generate sequences of stimuli and the order in which the stimulation elements generate stimuli is constant for not more than 5 successively generated sequences and then varied. The control unit controls the stimulation unit during 75% or more of the second time interval in a second stimulation mode such that the stimulation elements repeatedly generate sequences of stimuli and the order in which the stimulation elements generate stimuli is constant for at least 25 successively generated sequences and then varied.

Device and method for effective invasive two-stage neurostimulation

A device for stimulating neurons that includes a non-invasive stimulation unit for generating stimuli in stimulation channels. A control unit controls the stimulation unit during first and second time intervals in different stimulation modes. The control unit controls the stimulation unit during 75% or more of the first time interval in the first stimulation mode to repeatedly generate sequences of stimuli and the order in which the stimulation channels generate stimuli is constant for not more than 5 successively generated sequences and then varied. The control unit controls the stimulation unit during 75% or more of the second time interval in a second stimulation mode such that the stimulation channels repeatedly generate sequences of stimuli and the order in which the stimulation channels generate stimuli is constant for at least 25 successively generated sequences and then varied.

Device and method for effective non-invasive two-stage neurostimulation

A device is provided for the stimulation of neurons that includes a non-invasive stimulation unit to generate stimuli in multiple stimulation channels, where the stimulation unit stimulates a neuron population in the brain and/or spinal cord of a patient in different locations for each of the stimulation channels. Moreover, the device includes a control unit that controls the stimulation unit to generate repetitive bursts in each of the stimulation channels, where each of the bursts includes multiple stimuli and is designed so that they do not reset the phase of the neuronal activity of the respective stimulated neurons.

Device for non-invasive neuro-stimulation by means of multichannel bursts

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 is provided for stimulating neurons that includes an implantable stimulation unit that generates stimuli in multiple stimulation elements. The stimulation unit generates the stimuli to stimulate a neuron population in the brain and/or spinal cord of a patient using the stimulation elements. Moreover, the device includes a control unit that controls the stimulation unit to repeatedly generates sequences of the stimuli with the order of the stimulation elements in which stimuli are generated within a sequence being constant for 20 or more successively generated sequences before it is varied.

Device and method for effective invasive neurostimulation by means of varying stimulus sequences

A device is provided for stimulating neurons that includes a non-invasive stimulation unit that generates stimuli in multiple stimulation channels. The stimulation unit generates the stimuli to stimulate a neuron population in the brain and/or spinal cord of a patient using the stimulation channels in different locations. Moreover, the device includes a control unit that controls the stimulation unit to repeatedly generates sequences of the stimuli with the order of the stimulation channels in which stimuli are generated within a sequence being constant for 20 or more successively generated sequences before it is varied.

Growing community of inventors

Munich, Germany

Peter Alexander Tass