Vestibular Nerve Stimulation With Feedback for Anxiety Regulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for treating anxiety through vestibular stimulation have not produced definitive effects, and there is a need for more effective and efficient methods and devices to regulate anxiety and stress-related disorders.
Innovation Solution
Delivering customized vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS) via electrodes positioned near the vestibular system, using a portable electronic device that can be worn on the head, with adjustable signal shapes and durations, to influence key brain areas responsible for anxiety regulation, before, during, or after an anxiety event.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vestibular stimulation is delivered using fixed parameters, then the device is simpler to operate, but it cannot effectively compensate for individual scalp resistance variations
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates impedance measurement capability that continuously monitors scalp resistance and automatically adjusts stimulation parameters to maintain consistent current delivery. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable treatment effectiveness while adapting to individual variations without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically modifies electrical parameters (voltage, frequency, pulse width) based on measured impedance values to compensate for individual scalp resistance variations. This allows the same device structure to achieve consistent current delivery across different users by automatically adjusting operational parameters.
2Reliability
If customized signal shapes and durations are used, then anxiety treatment effectiveness is improved, but the device becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The device provides adjustable and customizable signal parameters including variable waveforms (sinusoidal, square, triangular), adjustable frequency, pulse width, and duty cycle. This dynamic signal generation capability allows optimization for different anxiety severities and patient responses while maintaining a unified device architecture through software-based parameter adjustment rather than hardware complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If vestibular stimulation is administered before, during, or after anxiety events, then treatment flexibility is improved, but it requires more precise timing control
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables proactive anxiety management by allowing stimulation to be administered before anxiety episodes occur, based on user-reported triggers or scheduled timing. This preliminary action approach provides flexibility in treatment scheduling while using simple user-input-based timing control rather than complex automated detection systems.
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 method effectively reduces anxiety by regulating the autonomic nervous system, providing an anxiety-reducing treatment that can be administered at appropriate times relative to the event, using a device that compensates for individual scalp resistance and includes feedback loops for consistent current delivery.
Implementation Method 1
delivering VeNS to the human subject from a current source connected with the at least one electrode
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems and devices are provided to stimulate the vestibular system in such a way as to influence the neurological components of the autonomic nervous system and reduce an anxiety level in a subject. A device with one or more electrodes placed over a subject's scalp provides vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS) to the vestibular nerve, which is then carried into the vestibular nucleus in the brainstem and thereafter transmitted to the neurological components of the autonomic nervous system to reduce a physiological reaction to an anxiety event. The characteristics of the stimulation signal and duration of the treatment are configured to allow the treatment to be delivered before, during or after an anxiety event to potentially prevent or at the very least reduce an anxiety response in the subject.