Device and method for effective invasive two-stage neurostimulation

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for stimulating neurons, comprising a stimulation unit, which can be implanted in the body of a patient and which has a plurality of stimulation elements for stimulating neurons in the brain and / or spinal cord of the patient with stimuli, and a control unit, which operates the stimulation unit during a first time interval and during a second time interval following the first time interval in different stimulation modes. The control unit controls the stimulation unit during at least 75% of the duration of the first time interval in a first stimulation mode suchthat the stimulation element repeatedly generate sequences of stimuli and the order in which the stimulation elements generate the stimuli within a sequence is constant for not more than 5 successively generated sequences and is then varied. The control unit controls the stimulation unit during at least 75% of the duration 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 the stimuli within a sequence is constant for at least 25 successively generated sequences and is then varied. The intensity of stimuli in the first stimulation mode is lower than or equal to a predetermined stimulus intensity and the intensity of stimuli in the second stimulation mode is at least 1.3 times the predetermined stimulus intensity.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for efficient invasive two-level neuronal stimulation with a variable sequence of stimulation elements. Background technique [0002] In patients with neurological or psychiatric disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, epilepsy, functional impairment after stroke, dystonia or obsessive-compulsive disorder, in specific areas of the brain such as the thalamus and basal ganglia Neurons in the histopathologically, eg, too synchronized activity. In this case, a large number of neurons form action potentials synchronously, that is to say, the neurons involved fire too synchronously. In contrast, in the healthy state, neurons in this brain region are qualitatively different from the way they fire, for example in an unrelated manner. [0003] In Parkinson's disease, pathologically synchronized activity alters neuronal activity in other brain regions, such as the cerebral cortex, such as the prim...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Similarly, an insufficient stimulation effect cannot be compensated for by arbitrarily increasing the stimulation intensity strongly, since this would usually cause side effects or even damage to the tissue

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