Stimulation for treating and diagnosing conditions

Abstract

A method is provided for facilitating a diagnosis of a condition of a subject, including applying a current to a site of the subject selected from the list consisting of: a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) of the subject, and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG, and configuring the current to increase conductance of molecules from brain tissue of the subject through a blood brain barrier (BBB) of the subject into a systemic blood circulation of the subject. The method also includes sensing a quantity of the molecules from a site outside of the brain of the subject, following initiation of application of the current.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED AND APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application: [0002] (a) is a continuation-in-part of (i) International Patent Application PCT / IL03 / 00338, filed Apr. 25, 2003, (ii) International Patent Application PCT / IL03 / 00508, filed Jun. 13, 2003, and (iii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 783,113, filed Feb. 20, 2004, and [0003] (b) claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 506,165 to Shalev, filed Sep. 26, 2003. [0004] The '338 application claims priority from (a) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 376,048 to Shalev, filed Apr. 25, 2002, and (b) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 461,232 to Gross et al., filed Apr. 8, 2003. [0005] The '508 application claims priority from (a) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 388,931, filed Jun. 14, 2002, and (b) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 294,310 to Gross et al., filed Nov. 14, 2002, which claims priority from: (i) U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 400,167, filed Jul. 31, 2002, and...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0133] Alternatively or additionally, a method is provided for increasing or reducing cortical blood flow and/or inducing or inhibiting vasodilation (even in the absence of BBB permeability changes) by presenting an odorant to an air passage of a patient, such as a nasal cavity or the throat, for treatment of a condition. Patients with the aforementioned disorders and other disorders are generally helped by vasodilation and the resultant improvement in oxygen supply to neurons and other tissue. For some applications, this treatment is given on a long-term basis, e.g., in the chronic treatment of Alzheimer's patients. For other applications, the treatment is performed on a short-term basis, e.g., to minimize the damage following an acute stroke event and initiate neuronal and therefore functional rehabili...

Problems solved by technology

Because of the BBB, certain non-surgical treatments of the brain based upon systemic introduction of compounds through the bloodstream have been ineffective or less effective.

For example, chemotherapy has been relatively ineffective in the treatment of CNS metastases of systemic cancers (e.g., breast cancer, small cell lung cancer, lymphoma, and germ cell tumors), despite clinical regression and even complete remission of these tumors in non-CNS systemic locations.

Therefore, based both on their lipid solubilities and molecular masses, the passage of many agents is impeded by the BBB.

Non-surgical treatment of neurological disorders is generally limited to systemic introduction of compounds such as neuropharmaceuticals and other neurologically-active agents that might remedy or modify neurologically-related activities and disorders.

Such treatment is limited, however, by the relatively small number of known compounds that pass through the BBB.

Even those that do cross the BBB often produce adverse reactions in other parts of the body or in non-targeted regions of the brain.

However, due to the inherent limitations of each of the aforementioned procedures, there is still a need for more generic, effective, and predictable ways to cross the BBB.

Despite this emerging perspective, insufficient effort has been made in identifying factors responsible for Aβ accumulation in the brain.

Nevertheless, this evidence is far from definitive, and it is clear that other factors are involved.

Although the neuronal and synaptic loss is universally recognized as the primary cause of the decline of cognitive functions, the cellular, biochemical, and molecular events responsible for this neuronal and synaptic loss are subject to fierce controversy.

On the other hand, a number of studies showed that amyloid can be directly toxic to neurons, resulting in behavioral impairment (Ma et al., Neurobiol Aging 17: 773-780, 1996, which is incorporated herein by reference).

In spite of these compelling genetic data, i...

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