Pre-Shaped Concave Electrode for Extracranial Brain Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing neurostimulation technologies are either highly invasive or non-invasive methods lack portable and safe mobile devices for therapeutic use, with extracranial stimulation facing significant resistance due to the low conductivity of the skull, leading to increased power consumption and potential tissue damage from uneven current density distribution.
Innovation Solution
The development of pre-shaped electrodes with concave or disc-type designs, made from thin metal materials like Platinum-Iridium, featuring incisions and cut-outs for adaptability to the skull's curvature, and supported by a surgical mesh for improved contact and fixation, along with a flexible silicone coating for enhanced mechanical robustness and electrical insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If extracranial electrodes are used for brain stimulation, then invasiveness is reduced, but resistance increases significantly due to skull conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is designed with a pre-shaped concave contour that adapts to the curvature of the skull surface, improving contact quality and reducing resistance. The curved shape allows better conformity to the non-planar bone surface, decreasing contact faults and leakage currents while maintaining the non-invasive extracranial approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode utilizes electrochemical reactions at the electrode surface to modify the electrochemical properties, affecting corrosion behavior and reducing resistance. By controlling the electrochemical environment and reactions, the electrode achieves lower resistance values despite the skull's low conductivity, while maintaining safety and effectiveness.
2Productivity
If current density is increased for effective stimulation, then stimulation effectiveness improves, but tissue damage risk increases due to edge effects
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode design creates different current density characteristics at different locations. The concave shape and optimized geometry distribute current more uniformly across the electrode surface, reducing the edge effects that cause high current density at the perimeter. This local optimization prevents tissue damage at electrode edges while maintaining effective stimulation in the target brain regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode design transforms the potential harmful edge effects into beneficial distributed stimulation. By optimizing the electrode geometry and material properties, the current distribution that would normally concentrate at edges is redistributed to provide uniform stimulation across the entire electrode surface, converting a harmful concentration effect into a beneficial distributed effect.
3Use of energy by stationary object
If electrode contact area is increased to reduce resistance, then power consumption decreases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-shaped concave contour of the electrode allows for optimized contact area without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms. The fixed geometric shape is designed to conform to the skull surface, providing consistent contact area that reduces resistance and power consumption while avoiding the complexity of adaptive or reconfigurable electrode designs.
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
These electrodes reduce resistance and power consumption, minimize tissue damage, and provide focused stimulation by optimizing current density distribution, allowing for effective and safe extracranial neurostimulation, particularly suitable for treating neurological disorders like epilepsy.
Implementation Method 1
variables for reducing the resistance and hence the power consumption of the device are on the one hand an optimized electrode design in under the electrodes can have a considerable effect on the electrochemical reactions at the electrode surface, thus affecting the corrosion behavior of the electrodes
Implementation Method 2
Electrical stimulation of neural or nervous tissue, e.g., brain tissue, is a well-established procedure for the treatment of various neurological disorders
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an electrode for the electrical stimulation of brain tissue or other tissue of a patient, the electrode being configured for location between skull and scalp of the patient, wherein the electrode has a stimulation surface which is configured for contacting the skull of the patient, wherein the electrode is a disc-shaped electrode having a pre-shaped flat or concave stimulation surface.