Intranasal Light Therapy Device for Self-Administered Brain Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current brain stimulation methods, such as ECT, CES, DBS, TLT, and optogenetics, face limitations including invasiveness, side effects, and lack of portability and cost-effectiveness, particularly for transcranial light therapy, which hinders widespread adoption and convenience.
Innovation Solution
The development of an intranasal neurostimulation system using a small, portable light diode apparatus inserted into the nasal cavity, powered by a dry cell battery, which emits targeted light energy of specific wavelengths to stimulate the brain non-invasively, allowing for self-administration and mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If transcranial light therapy is used to stimulate the brain, then therapeutic outcomes can be achieved, but the device is not portable and cannot be self-administered
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: a portable light source unit, a control unit, and a nasal cavity insert. This segmentation allows the light source to be compact and portable while the insert provides the necessary therapeutic function, enabling self-administration without requiring a complex integrated device.
Solution Approach 2:
The nasal cavity insert acts as an intermediary that delivers light energy to the brain through the nasal tissues. This intermediary approach allows portable light sources to effectively stimulate the brain without requiring direct skull penetration or complex surgical implants, thus enabling self-administration.
2Reliability
If invasive brain stimulation methods (ECT, DBS) are used, then therapeutic effects are achieved, but there is brain damage and cognitive deficits
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces invasive mechanical/electrical stimulation systems (ECT, DBS) with an optical system. Light energy is delivered through the nasal cavity to stimulate brain tissues non-invasively, achieving therapeutic effects without the brain damage and cognitive deficits associated with electrical shock and surgical implants.
Solution Approach 2:
The nasal cavity serves as a natural intermediary pathway that allows light energy to reach the brain without requiring surgical intervention or direct tissue penetration. This intermediary approach eliminates the harmful effects of invasive methods while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.
3Measurement precision
If deep brain stimulation is used, then specific brain areas can be targeted, but the procedure is invasive and requires surgical implantation
Solution Approach 1:
The nasal cavity insert is designed with specific geometric features and light directing elements that concentrate light energy on targeted brain regions. The insert's local quality design allows precise targeting without requiring surgical implantation, as the nasal cavity anatomy itself guides the light to the desired location.
Solution Approach 2:
The nasal cavity acts as a natural intermediary that provides precise targeting of brain regions through its anatomical structure. The light is directed through the nasal tissues to specific brain areas, achieving surgical-level precision without the invasiveness of DBS surgery.
4Adaptability or versatility
If cranial electrotherapy stimulation is used, then stress and anxiety can be treated, but the technique is experimental and lacks sufficient study
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces experimental electrical stimulation with light-based stimulation that has more robust scientific foundations. Light therapy through the nasal cavity is based on well-established photobiomodulation principles that have been studied extensively, providing both versatility in treating various conditions and stronger scientific validity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows adjustment of light parameters (wavelength, intensity, duration) to optimize treatment for different conditions. This parameter flexibility enables the same device to treat various mental health conditions with varying efficacy, supported by solid scientific research on photobiomodulation mechanisms.
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 provides safe, effective, and versatile brain stimulation with minimal side effects, offering a portable, cost-effective, and user-friendly solution for various therapeutic outcomes without invasiveness, overcoming the limitations of existing techniques.
Implementation Method 1
at least one light generating unit entirely housed and contained within said internal spatial volume of said hollow casing and which is capable of generating light energy of at least one preselected wavelength selected from the group consisting of near infrared red light wavelengths and visible red light wavelengths
Implementation Method 2
capable of generating light energy... sufficient to penetrate through the nasal tissues and to pass into the brain
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention is a portable non-invasive apparatus, system, and method for performing light therapy or photobiomodulation upon the brain tissues through the nostrils of a living mammalian subject for the medical purpose of stimulating the brain in-vivo. In marked difference to conventionally known therapeutic procedures, the present invention utilizes the intranasal pathway as the point of anatomic access; and follows established principles for the conceptual approach that irradiation of the brain tissue with low level light energy of certain fixed parameters would achieve major therapeutic effects in-vivo. In this manner, the present invention utilizes light energy of specified wavelengths, coherency, and pulsed mode to achieve therapeutic outcomes.