Adjustable Random Electrical Stimulation for Neurological Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrical stimulation therapies for neurological disorders are limited by their inability to deliver energy at frequencies other than harmonic multiples of the fundamental frequency and lack independent control over energy content within the frequency spectrum, leading to reduced efficacy and potential for neurological tolerance.
Innovation Solution
A system that partitions a frequency range into discrete bands and generates a composite electrical signal using periodic signals, allowing for adjustable amplitude and randomness in frequency and phase, enabling flexible delivery of stimulation energy across the spectrum based on patient feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If periodic electrical waveforms are used for stimulation, then the stimulation can be delivered in a structured manner with predictable harmonic frequencies, but the energy delivery is limited to harmonic frequencies only and cannot be independently controlled at different frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The frequency spectrum is divided into multiple discrete frequency bands (e.g., first frequency band, second frequency band, third frequency band), each independently controllable. This segmentation allows energy to be delivered at multiple frequencies simultaneously without requiring a complex periodic waveform, resolving the contradiction by enabling frequency flexibility through band segmentation while keeping the generation mechanism manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the energy content at different frequency bands independently, allowing the waveform characteristics to change adaptively. Rather than being constrained by a fixed periodic waveform with predetermined harmonics, the system can modulate each frequency band's energy content based on therapeutic needs, achieving versatility without excessive complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If constant-voltage biphasic square-wave pulses are used, then the fundamental frequency and its odd multiples are delivered with fixed amplitude ratios, but independent control of energy content at different frequencies is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The energy content control is segmented by frequency bands, with each band independently adjustable. This allows the system to deliver different energy levels at different frequencies (e.g., higher energy at 200 Hz, lower energy at 600 Hz) without being constrained by the fixed 1/n amplitude ratios of periodic waveforms, achieving versatile energy control while maintaining operational simplicity through independent band adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
Each frequency band is treated as a separate entity with its own energy content characteristics. This local quality approach allows independent optimization of energy delivery at each frequency band according to specific therapeutic requirements, rather than being bound by the global constraints of a periodic waveform's harmonic structure.
3Reliability
If periodic stimulation waveforms are used long-term, then consistent therapeutic delivery is achieved, but neurological tolerance develops reducing efficacy
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic frequency and energy modulation across multiple frequency bands to prevent neurological tolerance. By varying the energy content at different frequency bands over time and allowing randomization within bands, the stimulation remains effective long-term while maintaining therapeutic consistency through controlled variability rather than fixed periodic patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms to monitor therapeutic response and adjust energy distribution across frequency bands accordingly. This feedback-driven adaptation prevents tolerance by continuously optimizing the stimulation parameters, maintaining reliability and long-term efficacy through responsive adjustment rather than static periodic delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing therapy to a patient according to one embodiment includes partitioning a frequency range into a plurality of discrete frequency bands with each having a corresponding bandwidth, generating a composite electrical signal based on a plurality of periodic signals, wherein each periodic signal has a frequency within a corresponding frequency band of the plurality of discrete frequency bands, delivering the composite electrical signal through one or more electrodes to the patient to target at least one of neural tissue or non-neural tissue of the patient, adjusting an amplitude of one or more of a voltage or a current of the composite electrical signal within a selected frequency band of the plurality of discrete frequency bands to generate an adjusted signal based on feedback received from the patient, and delivering the adjusted electrical signal through the one or more electrodes to provide therapy to the patient.