Leadless Implantable Electroacupuncture Device for Mental Health
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety, such as deep brain stimulation and traditional electroacupuncture, are invasive, risky, or ineffective, and there is a need for a less invasive and efficient method to deliver electrical stimulation to specific acupoints for mental health treatment.
Innovation Solution
An implantable electroacupuncture device (IEAD) with a coin-sized housing, featuring a symmetrical electrode configuration and a primary battery with high internal impedance, delivers electroacupuncture stimulation pulses to acupoints GV20 and EXHN3, using a low-duty cycle regimen to treat depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety without the need for needles or long implanted wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If deep brain stimulation is used to treat depression and anxiety, then therapeutic effect is achieved, but invasiveness and surgical risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the stimulation function from the brain itself and relocates it to peripheral acupoints on the body surface. By placing electrodes at acupoints GV20 and EXHN3, the system delivers therapeutic stimulation without penetrating the brain, thereby eliminating the invasiveness and surgical risks associated with deep brain stimulation while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness through peripheral nerve pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces peripheral acupoints and their associated nerves as intermediaries between the external electrode and the central nervous system. These acupoints serve as mediators that transmit stimulation signals to the brain indirectly, avoiding direct brain penetration while still achieving the desired therapeutic effect through neural pathways.
2Reliability
If traditional electroacupuncture with needles is used, then treatment is provided, but invasiveness and complexity of procedure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the needle component from traditional electroacupuncture and replaces it with an implantable electrode device. This extraction of the invasive needle element while retaining the electroacupuncture function at acupoints GV20 and EXHN3 simplifies the procedure by eliminating needle insertion and associated complexity, while maintaining treatment effectiveness through direct electrical stimulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical needle insertion system with an implantable electrode system. Instead of mechanically inserting needles and connecting them to external devices, the system uses a surgically implanted electrode that directly delivers electrical stimulation, thereby simplifying the overall procedure and reducing mechanical complexity.
3Reliability
If implantable device with long leads is used, then stimulation can be delivered, but surgical complexity and risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the long lead wire component from the implantable device. By using a leadless electrode design where the stimulation source is integrated at the acupoint location, the system achieves stimulation delivery without requiring long leads that would increase surgical complexity and risk, while maintaining reliable stimulation through direct peripheral nerve contact.
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
The IEAD provides a safe, efficient, and effective treatment for mental health conditions by focusing electrical stimulation at specific acupoints, reducing the risk of complications and improving patient outcomes with a low-duty cycle and adjustable stimulation regimen.
Implementation Method 1
A battery adapted to provide power to the pulse generation circuitry
Implementation Method 2
pulse generation circuitry located within the IEAD housing that delivers electroacupuncture stimulation pulses
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable electroacupuncture device (IEAD) treats depression, bipolar disorder or Anxiety through application of stimulation pulses applied at acupoints GV20 and/or EXHN3. The IEAD comprises an implantable, coin-sized, self-contained, leadless electroacupuncture device having at least two electrodes attached to an outside surface of its housing. The device generates stimulation pulses in accordance with a specified stimulation regimen. Power management circuitry within the device allows a primary battery, having a high internal impedance, to be used to power the device. The stimulation regimen generates stimulation pulses during a stimulation session of duration T3 minutes applied every T4 minutes. The duty cycle, or ratio T3/T4, is very low, no greater than 0.05. The low duty cycle and careful power management allow the IEAD to perform its intended function for several years.