Coordinated Audio-Visual Seizure Control Wearable
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy, such as surgery, vagal nerve stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation, are invasive, disruptive, or not suitable for all patients, and existing non-invasive methods like auditory stimulation alone may not provide sufficient seizure control.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive approach using a wearable device that delivers coordinated low-frequency audio and visual stimuli, synchronized with EEG signals, to reduce seizure frequency by employing a combination of click sounds and short white light pulses at frequencies of 1-10 Hz, which can be adapted for individual preferences and used as an adjuvant to anti-epileptic medication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If invasive procedures such as surgery or implanted stimulators are used, then seizure control is improved, but patient comfort and quality of life deteriorate due to invasiveness and disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive mechanical surgical procedures with non-invasive acoustic and optical stimulation. Instead of surgically implanting electrodes or performing resection surgery, the invention uses externally applied sound waves and light pulses to modulate brain activity and control seizures, thereby maintaining seizure control while eliminating surgical trauma and implanted devices
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces acoustic waves and optical fields as intermediary agents to transmit stimulation energy to the brain without direct physical contact or implantation. These intermediaries carry the therapeutic effect from external sources to target brain regions, avoiding the need for invasive mechanical interfaces between the external device and the patient's body
2Ease of operation
If non-invasive auditory stimulation alone is used, then patient comfort is maintained, but seizure control efficacy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two separate non-invasive stimulation modalities—acoustic stimulation and optical stimulation—into a single integrated therapeutic system. By combining sound waves and light pulses delivered in coordination, the invention achieves synergistic effects that enhance seizure control beyond what either modality could achieve alone, while maintaining the benefits of non-invasiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite stimulation approach by integrating multiple physical modalities (acoustic and optical fields) into a unified therapeutic protocol. This composite method leverages the complementary properties of different energy forms to achieve more robust seizure control, analogous to how composite materials combine different substances to achieve superior performance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method has shown a 70-90% reduction in seizure frequency in animal models and significant antiepileptic effects in human patients, offering a less invasive and more flexible alternative to existing treatments, particularly suitable for children and patients who cannot undergo surgery.
Implementation Method 1
A non-invasive approach using a wearable device that delivers coordinated low-frequency audio and visual stimuli, synchronized with EEG signals
Implementation Method 2
A non-invasive approach using a wearable device that delivers coordinated low-frequency audio and visual stimuli, synchronized with EEG signals
Implementation Method 3
These procedures may use low frequency (1-10 Hz) stimulus in order to entrain the network. Low frequency stimulation has been shown to reduce seizure frequency.
Data Source
AI summary
Example apparatus and methods reduce epileptic seizures in a human patient by non-invasively providing low frequency (e.g., 1-10 Hz) audio stimuli coordinated with low frequency (e.g., 1-10 Hz) visual stimuli to the patient. The signals are provided non-invasively through the eyes and ears. The audio stimuli and visual stimuli may be selected or coordinated based on a state (e.g., hyperexcitability, imminent epileptic seizure, epileptic seizure in progress, REM sleep) determined from an EEG signal acquired from the patient. Apparatus for delivering the audio stimuli and visual stimuli may be incorporated into a single wearable apparatus (e.g., glasses with earphones, hat, headband). The single wearable apparatus may also provide noise cancellation and visual stimulus diminution. The audio stimuli may be incorporated into music or random background noise.