Radiosurgical Neuromodulation via Sub-Lethal Ionizing Radiation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current treatments for behavioral disorders such as depression, OCD, addiction, and obesity often involve invasive surgical procedures or non-specific medications, leading to significant side effects and cognitive impairment, as they typically aim to kill or damage brain tissues, which can be debilitating and costly.

Innovation Solution

The use of stereotactic radiosurgical platforms to deliver sub-lethal doses of ionizing radiation from outside the patient's body to specific neural circuits in the brain, modulating neuronal activity without causing cell death, thereby mitigating behavioral disorders like depression, OCD, addiction, and obesity, while minimizing collateral damage and preserving cognitive function.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If invasive surgical procedures or traditional radiation therapy are used to treat behavioral disorders, then cell death or tissue damage is achieved, but cognitive function deteriorates and side effects increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetreatment efficacyVSAvoidcognitive impairment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies sub-lethal doses of ionizing radiation (typically 12-24 Gy) instead of traditional lethal doses, changing the radiation dosage parameter to achieve neuromodulation without cell death. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by maintaining treatment efficacy while preventing cognitive impairment associated with tissue destruction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces invasive mechanical surgical procedures with non-invasive radiation delivery through the skull. This substitution eliminates the need for craniotomy and electrode implantation, thereby preventing surgery-related cognitive damage while achieving the desired therapeutic effect on neural circuits

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If invasive deep brain stimulation is used to treat behavioral disorders, then neuronal activity is modulated, but surgical risks and device complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveneuronal modulationVSAvoidimplantation procedure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the complex mechanical implantation system (electrodes, pulse generators, batteries) with a non-invasive radiation delivery system. The treatment is administered externally through the skull, eliminating all implanted devices and their associated complexity while achieving comparable neuronal modulation through radiomodulation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the modulation function from the implanted device and transfers it to externally delivered radiation. By taking out the need for permanent implants, the system achieves neuronal modulation without the complexity of implanted generators, electrodes, and power supplies

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If traditional radiation therapy is used to kill tumor cells, then cell death is achieved, but collateral damage to surrounding tissue occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecell destructionVSAvoidtissue necrosis

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the radiation dose parameter from lethal levels (required for tumor cell death) to sub-lethal levels (12-24 Gy) that produce neuromodulation without necrosis. This parameter change allows the radiation to modify neural circuit activity and reduce hyperactivity in behavioral disorder targets without causing the tissue death and collateral damage seen in traditional radiation therapy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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 approach effectively reduces neuronal activity in targeted areas, alleviating symptoms of behavioral disorders without inducing necrosis or significant cognitive decline, offering a less invasive and more targeted treatment option with potential for long-term neuromodulation effects.

Implementation Method 1

transmitting a sub-lethal quantity of ionizing radiation from outside the patient into a target within the brain of the patient so as to alter the level of neuronal activity

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectIonizing radiation: Radiation

Data Source

PatentUS10682529B2Radiosurgical neuromodulation devices, systems, and methods for treatment of behavioral disorders by external application of ionizing radiation

Publication Date: 2020.06.16 ZAP SURGICAL SYSTEMS INC

AI summary

Radiosurgical techniques and systems treat behavioral disorders (such as depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (“OCD”), addiction, hyperphagia, and the like) by directing radiation from outside the patient toward a target tissue within the patient's brain, typically without imposing surgical trauma. The target will often be included in a neural circuit associated with the behavioral disorder. A cellularly sub-lethal dose of the radiation may be applied and the radiation can mitigate the behavioral disorder, obesity, or the like, by modulating the level of neural activity within the target and in associated tissues. Hypersensitive and/or hyperactive neuronal tissue may be targeted, with the radiation downwardly modulating hyperactive neuronal activity. By down-regulating the activity of a target that normally exerts negative feedback or a limiting effect on a relevant neural circuit, the activity of the circuit may be increased.