Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Device With Varying Stimulus Sequences
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing non-invasive coordinated reset (CR) stimulation methods for neurological and psychiatric diseases face variability in effectiveness due to fluctuations in stimulus intensity and organismic parameters, leading to inconsistent therapeutic outcomes across stimulation epochs.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method utilizing a control unit and stimulation unit that generate and adapt sensory stimuli across multiple channels to desynchronize pathologically synchronous neuronal activity, employing fast-varying and slowly varying stimulus sequences to achieve robust and long-lasting therapeutic effects by resetting neuronal phases and reducing synaptic weights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional CR stimulation is applied with fixed stimulus intensity, then the stimulation effect can be achieved, but the effectiveness varies significantly due to fluctuations in stimulus intensity and organismic parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the stimulus sequence varying over time rather than fixed. The control unit generates stimulus sequences that adapt their parameters (intensity, timing, pattern) dynamically based on the stimulation epoch and organismic state, allowing the system to respond to fluctuations and maintain consistent therapeutic effects across different conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying multiple stimulus parameters including intensity, duration, frequency, and temporal patterns. The control unit adjusts these parameters across different stimulation epochs to compensate for organismic fluctuations, thereby improving reliability while reducing dependence on initial conditions through systematic parameter variation.
2Reliability
If stimulus intensity is increased to ensure therapeutic effect, then the effectiveness improves, but the dependence on organismic parameters and initial conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic stimulus sequences that adapt their intensity and other parameters over time rather than applying fixed high intensity. This allows the stimulation to remain effective while being less sensitive to organismic parameter fluctuations, as the varying sequence can compensate for changes in system state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic variation in stimulus parameters including intensity modulation across stimulation epochs. This periodic action creates a stimulation pattern that is more robust to fluctuations in organismic parameters, as the varying intensity profile can adapt to changing conditions without requiring consistently high intensity levels.
3Reliability
If fixed stimulus sequences are used, then the device complexity is low, but the therapeutic effect varies from stimulation epoch to stimulation epoch
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit generates dynamic stimulus sequences that vary over time, replacing fixed sequences with adaptive patterns. This increases device complexity but significantly improves effect consistency by allowing the stimulation to adapt to organismic fluctuations across different stimulation epochs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the control unit adjusts stimulus sequences based on responses from previous stimulation epochs and measured organismic parameters. This feedback loop enables the device to maintain consistent therapeutic effects while managing complexity through intelligent adaptation rather than purely complex hardware.
4Reliability
If stimulus parameters are adapted to initial conditions, then the initial effect can be optimized, but the long-lasting effect and robustness to fluctuations are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic stimulus sequences that continue to adapt throughout the treatment course rather than being optimized only for initial conditions. This dynamic adaptation maintains long-lasting therapeutic effects while reducing dependence on initial conditions, as the varying sequences can respond to changes in organismic state over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements systematic parameter changes across stimulation epochs, including variations in intensity, timing, and pattern. These parameter changes enable the stimulation to maintain effectiveness over the long term while being less dependent on initial conditions, as the varying parameters can compensate for drift in organismic state.
Data Source
AI summary
A device is provided for stimulating neurons that includes a non-invasive stimulation unit that generates stimuli in multiple stimulation channels. The stimulation unit generates the stimuli to stimulate a neuron population in the brain and/or spinal cord of a patient using the stimulation channels in different locations. Moreover, the device includes a control unit that controls the stimulation unit to repeatedly generates sequences of the stimuli with the order of the stimulation channels in which stimuli are generated within a sequence being constant for 20 or more successively generated sequences before it is varied.