US6128538A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Means and method for the treatment of neurological disorders
Assignee: Neuropace Inc
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Filing: 1999-11-29
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Granted: 2000-10-03
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Expires: 2019-11-29
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a multiple electrode, closed-loop, responsive system for the treatment of certain neurological diseases such as epilepsy, migraine headaches and Parkinson's disease. Brain electrodes would be placed in close proximity to the brain or deep within brain tissue. When a neurological event such as the onset of an epileptic seizure occurs, EEG signals from the electrodes are processed by signal conditioning means in a control module that can be placed beneath the patient's scalp, within the patient's chest, or situated externally on the patient. Neurological event detection means in the control module will then cause a response to be generated for stopping the neurological event. The response could be an electrical signal to brain electrodes or to electrodes located remotely in the patient's body. The response could also be the release of medication or the application of a sensory input such as sound, light or mechanical vibration or electrical stimulation of the skin. The response to the neurological event can originate from devices either internal or external to the patient. The system also has the capability for multi-channel recording of EEG related signals that occur both before and after the detection of a neurological event. Programmability of many different operating parameters of the system by means of external equipment provides adaptability for treating patients who manifest different symptoms and who respond differently to the response generated by the system.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert E. Fischell
- 👤 David R. Fischell
- 👤 Adrian R. M. Upton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:11
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/24; A61B5/316; A61B5/369; A61B5/37; A61B5/40; A61B5/4076; A61B5/4094; A61B5/68; A61B5/6801; A61B5/6813; A61B5/6814; A61N; A61N1/00; A61N1/18; A61N1/32; A61N1/36; A61N1/3605; G; G16; G16H; G16H20/00; G16H20/40; A61N1/36014; A61N1/36025; A61N1/3606; A61N1/36082; A61N1/372; A61N1/37211
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
191 words
A system for the treatment of neurological disorders of a human patient, the system comprising: at least two electrodes adapted to be located within the patient's body with at least one electrode of the at least two electrodes located within the patient's body being a brain electrode adapted to be placed within the patient's head; a control module adapted to be implanted within the patient's body for transmitting output signals from the control module responsive to at least one input electrical signal originating in the patient's brain, the control module including electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry of the control module including a data recording means; electrical conducting means for providing electrical connections between the electrodes and the electronic circuitry of the control module; and external equipment means adapted to be located external to the human patient for providing two-way communication between the external equipment means and the control module for (1) receiving data transmission from the control module and (2) transmitting signals to be received by the control module for defining the output signals from the control module, whereby said output signals provide a stimulation signal to terminate a neurological event.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
191 words
A system for the treatment of neurological disorders of a human patient, the system comprising: at least two electrodes adapted to be located within the patient's body with at least one electrode of the at least two electrodes located within the patient's body being a brain electrode adapted to be placed within the patient's head; a control module adapted to be implanted within the patient's body for transmitting output signals from the control module responsive to at least one input electrical signal originating in the patient's brain, the control module including electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry of the control module including a data recording means; electrical conducting means for providing electrical connections between the electrodes and the electronic circuitry of the control module; and external equipment means adapted to be located external to the human patient for providing two-way communication between the external equipment means and the control module for (1) receiving data transmission from the control module and (2) transmitting signals to be received by the control module for defining the output signals from the control module, whereby said output signals provide a stimulation signal to terminate a neurological event.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the data recording means is adapted to record the at least one input electrical signal originating in the patient's brain.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the data recording means is adapted to simultaneously record at least two input electrical signals originating in the patient's brain.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the data recording means includes analog-to-digital conversion and a digital memory, the digital memory being is adapted to store data that is received and processed by the electronic circuitry of the control module.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the digital memory is adapted to record data for a first time period which is the time period before the detection of the neurological event.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 5 wherein the first time period is between 0.1 and 30 minutes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the digital memory is adapted to record data for a second time period which is the time period after the detection of the neurological event.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 7 wherein the second time period is between 0.1 and 30 minutes.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the digital memory is adapted to record data for both a first time period which is the time period before the detection of the neurological event and for a second time period which is the time period after the detection of the neurological event.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 9 wherein the first time period is between 0.1 and 30 minutes and the second time period is between 0.1 and 30 minutes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
79 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the data recording means is adapted to store in the digital memory, the data to be stored including data that corresponds to the energy level of each one of at least two different frequency bands of the at least one input electrical signal originating in the patient's brain, wherein each frequency band is obtained by a transformation into the frequency domain of the at least one electrical signal originating in the patient's brain.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
48 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the data recording means is adapted to store within the digital memory, the data to be stored originating from a specific set of electrodes which set of electrodes is less than the total number of electrodes located within the patient 's body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the data recording means is adapted to store within the digital memory the number of neurological events detected over a predetermined time period, which predetermined time period is programmed into the control module by a signal from the external equipment means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the data recording means is adapted to store within the digital memory the time and date of occurrence of each neurological event that is detected.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system of claim 4 further including means for stopping the neurological event, the data recording means being further adapted to store within the digital memory the time and date of each activation of the means for stopping the neurological event.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic circuitry further includes a real time clock.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 16 wherein the real time clock is adapted to be set by a signal transmitted from the external equipment means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
62 words
The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the input electrical signals originating in the patient's brain is an EEG signal and the electronic circuitry of the control module is adapted to processes that EEG signal so as to change its wave shape as a function of time, the data recording means being adapted to record the processed EEG signal.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 18 wherein the external equipment means is adapted to transmit a signal to the data recording means to initiate the recording of at least one of the processed EEG signals generated within the electronic circuitry of the control module.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
69 words
The system of claim 19 wherein the external equipment means that is adapted to transmit a signal to cause the data recording means to initiate the recording of at least one processed EEG signal is a patient's initiating device means for transmitting electrical signals to be received by the control module, the patient's initiating device means being situated external to the patient and generally being operated by the patient.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
65 words
The system of claim 19 wherein the external equipment means that is adapted to transmit a signal to cause the data recording means to record at least one processed EEG signal is a physician's workstation means for transmitting electrical signals to be received by the control module, the physician's workstation means being is situated external to the patient and generally being operated by a physician.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the control module is adapted to be placed within the patient's chest.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
220 words
A system for the detection of neurological events characterized by a signal from within the brain of a human patient, the system comprising: at least two electrodes adapted to be located within the patient's body with at least one electrode of the at least two electrodes located within the patient's body being a brain electrode adapted to be placed within the patient's head, the brain electrode adapted to obtain electrical signals from the brain of the human patient; a control module implanted within the patient's body, the control module including an event detection sub-system and data recording means, the event detection sub-system being adapted to identify the occurrence of a neurological event by processing at least one electrical signal obtained by the at least one brain electrode, the data recording means being adapted to store the time and date of the occurrence of the neurological event; electrical conducting means which provide electrical connections between the at least one electrode and the control module; external equipment means adapted to be located external to the human patient for providing two-way communication between the external equipment means and the control module, the two-way communication being adapted to transmit the dates and times of the occurrences of neurological events stored by the data recording means of the control module to the external equipment means.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
220 words
A system for the detection of neurological events characterized by a signal from within the brain of a human patient, the system comprising: at least two electrodes adapted to be located within the patient's body with at least one electrode of the at least two electrodes located within the patient's body being a brain electrode adapted to be placed within the patient's head, the brain electrode adapted to obtain electrical signals from the brain of the human patient; a control module implanted within the patient's body, the control module including an event detection sub-system and data recording means, the event detection sub-system being adapted to identify the occurrence of a neurological event by processing at least one electrical signal obtained by the at least one brain electrode, the data recording means being adapted to store the time and date of the occurrence of the neurological event; electrical conducting means which provide electrical connections between the at least one electrode and the control module; external equipment means adapted to be located external to the human patient for providing two-way communication between the external equipment means and the control module, the two-way communication being adapted to transmit the dates and times of the occurrences of neurological events stored by the data recording means of the control module to the external equipment means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-10-03 | 2004-04-03 | 2004-10-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-10-03 | 2008-04-03 | 2008-10-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-10-03 | 2012-04-03 | 2012-10-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |