US-12616835-B2 - Neurostimulation-based neurofeedback device using brain waves and heartbeat signals

US12616835B2US 12616835 B2US12616835 B2US 12616835B2US-12616835-B2

Abstract

Disclosed is a neurofeedback device, including a body attached to a user's body and configured to provide electrical stimulation to a vagus nerve region, wherein the body includes: a frame provided in a symmetrical and elliptical shape, wherein one side and another side in a longitudinal direction are concavely recessed toward a center, and attached to a user's neck; a vagus nerve stimulator located on a back surface of the frame, provided to include a plurality of electrodes for providing electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve region, and attached to skin directly above the vagus nerve region located next to carotid artery of the user; a heart rate sensor located at a center of left and right symmetry of the frame on a back surface of the frame and configured to detect heart rates of the user; a manipulator located in front of the frame and configured to receive a user's command; and a plurality of connection ports formed on a side surface of the frame to transmit and receive signals, wherein the plural electrodes of the vagus nerve stimulator are provided one by one on left and right sides in the symmetrical structure of the frame and, when the frame is attached to the user's skin, are disposed perpendicular to a direction of the vagus nerve.

Inventors

Dong-Joo Kim
Young-Tak Kim
Hyun-Ji Kim

Assignees

NeuroTx Co., Ltd

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221014
Priority Date: 20210817

Claims (6)

1 . A neurofeedback device comprising: a body configured to be attached to a user's skin and configured to provide electrical stimulation to a vagus nerve region of the user; a brain wave measure part configured to measure brain waves of the user; a genioglossus muscle stimulator; a first connection cable; and a second connection cable, wherein the body comprises: a frame provided in a symmetrical and elliptical shape and having a front surface, a back surface and a side surface, wherein a length of the frame in a first direction is shorter than a length of the frame in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the side surface has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side in the first direction, a third side and a forth side opposite to the third side in the second direction, and both the first side and the second side are concavely recessed toward a center, and the frame is configured to be attached to the user's neck, a vagus nerve stimulator located on the back surface of the frame, provided to comprise a plurality of electrodes for providing electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve region, and configured to be attached to the skin directly above the vagus nerve region located next to carotid artery of the user, a heart rate sensor located at a center of left and right symmetry of the frame on the back surface of the frame and configured to detect heart rates of the use, a manipulator located in the front surface of the frame and configured to receive a the user's command for controlling the brain wave measure part and the heart rate sensor, a plurality of connection ports formed on the side surface of the frame to transmit and receive signals, and a controller configured to generate a neurofeedback signal based on the brain waves of the user and the heart rates of the user, wherein the plurality of connection parts include a first port formed on the first side of the side surface and a second port formed on the third side of the side surface, wherein the genioglossus muscle stimulator is configured to be attached around the user's neck and configured to comprise an electrode for outputting electrical stimulation corresponding to the neurofeedback signal, wherein the first connection cable is configured to be connected to the first port of the plurality of connection ports to connect the body and the brain wave measure part to each other, wherein the second connection cable is configured to be connected to the second port of the plurality of connection ports and configured to connect the body and the genioglossus muscle stimulator to each other, wherein the plural electrodes of the vagus nerve stimulator are provided one by one on left and right sides in the symmetrical structure of the frame and, when the frame is configured to be attached to the user's skin, are disposed perpendicular to a direction of the vagus nerve, and wherein the plurality of electrodes of the vagus nerve simulator include a first electrode disposed on a left side of the back surface of the frame and a second electrode disposed on a right side of the back surface of the frame, and the first electrode and the second electrode are symmetrically arranged on the back surface of the frame with respect to the first direction, and the first electrode and the second electrode being arranged along the second direction.
2 . The neurofeedback device according to claim 1 , wherein the brain wave measure part is configured to be attached to a head of the user to measure the brain waves of the user; and wherein the brain wave measure part comprises: a first band configured to have a predetermined width and provided in a form of extending and being attached over a part of the user's head past back of the user's ear from around the user's neck when connected to the body through the first connection cable; a patch-type first brain wave sensor located at one end of the first band and configured to be detachably attached to a part of the user's head to measure the brain waves in a left prefrontal lobe Fp1 region of the user; a second brain wave sensor located at a rear end of the first brain wave sensor and configured to be detachably attached to the part of the user's head to measure the brain waves in a right prefrontal lobe Fp2 region of the user; a reference electrode located at a rear end of the second brain wave sensor and configured to be detachably attached around the user's ear to provide a reference signal for brain wave measurement; a ground electrode located at a rear end of the reference electrode and configured to be detachably attached around the user's ear to provide a ground signal for brain wave measurement; and a first connector located at a rear end of the ground electrode and inserted into and connected to another end of the first connection cable.
3 . The neurofeedback device according to claim 2 , wherein a portion, on which the first brain wave sensor, the second brain wave sensor, the reference electrode and the ground electrode are disposed, of the first band has a circular shape having a larger diameter than the predetermined width.
4 . The neurofeedback device according to claim 3 , wherein the first connection cable comprises: a first cable; a first terminal located at one end of the first cable and provided with a protruding terminal to be inserted into the first port of the plurality of connection ports of the body; and a first socket located at another end of the first cable and configured to comprise a hole into which the first connector of the brain wave measure part is to be inserted.
5 . The neurofeedback device according to claim 2 , wherein the genioglossus muscle stimulator comprises: a second band configured to be attached to a skin directly above a genioglossus muscle region of the user when connected to the body through the second connection cable; a genioglossus muscle electrode located on a back surface of one end of the second band to provide the electrical stimulation to the user's genioglossus muscle region, and provided in a form of a patch to be attached to the skin directly above the genioglossus muscle; and a second connector located at another end of the second band to be inserted into and connected to the second connection cable.
6 . The neurofeedback device according to claim 5 , wherein the second connection cable comprises: a second cable; a second terminal located at one end of the second cable and provided with a protruding terminal to be inserted into the second port of the plurality of connection ports of the body; and a second socket located at another end of the second cable and provided with a hole into which the second connector is to be inserted.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 1020210108017, filed on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates to a neurostimulation-based neurofeedback device using brain waves and heartbeat signals, and more particularly to a neurostimulation-based neurofeedback device using brain waves and heartbeat signals to identify a user's brain and nervous system status in real-time and provide neurofeedback based on the identified brain and nervous system status. Description of the Related Art Normal sleep is essential for a healthy life, and sleep accounts for ⅓ of human lifespan. However, in modem times, it is known that more than 10% of adults suffer from sleep disorders due to various causes such as overwork, stress, aging, living environment and diseases and about one-third of adults experience sleep disorders in some form during their lifetime. Sleep disorders often appear as early symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders, and some psychiatric disorders are accompanied by characteristic changes in sleep physiology. According to statistics from the US Sleep Association, 60% of Americans suffer from sleep disturbances from time to time, and according to the US Transportation Safety Board, these sleep disturbances cause about 1,000 car accidents each year, resulting in the death of more than 1,500 people. Thereby, sleep disorders are recognized as a serious social problem. In addition, lifestyle habits such as the increased use of smartphones in modern society are also pointed out as the cause of poor sleep. In particular, it is known that sleep disorders caused by melatonin deficiency can be improved through vagus nerve stimulation wherein Locus Coeruleus (LC) is stimulated through Nucleus Tractus Solitarius (NTS) and LC promotes Norepinephrine (NE) secretion to stimulate Dorsal Raphe Nucleus (DRN), thereby increasing serotonin (5-HT) secretion and melatonin. Accordingly, as a treatment method that stimulates the vagus nerve connected to the central nervous system to help the autonomic nerve function and the activity of the brain neural network, vagus nerve stimulation capable of improving cognitive function by promoting synaptic plasticity in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which controls cognitive functions, is being used. This conventional neurostimulation technique is a method of providing only stimulation of a specific frequency (Hz) and intensity (mA) previously set. However, since a response to a stimulus varies according to the characteristics and condition of a user, it is impossible to provide suitable neurostimulation with the conventional fixed pattern stimulation, and such a limitation results in a problem in that the effect on vagal nerve stimulation is small. RELATED ART DOCUMENT Patent Document (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2004-0085440 SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems. One object of the present disclosure is to provide optimized personalized vagus nerve stimulation to a user during sleep based on autonomic nervous system activation information and real-time sleep stage classification results collected through brain waves and heart rate signals measured during sleep. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a neurostimulation-based neurofeedback device utilizing brain wave, heart rate and motion signals which can improve sleep disorders and prevent deterioration of cognitive function by providing the optimized personalized vagus nerve stimulation. It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a neurostimulation-based neurofeedback device utilizing brain waves and heart rate signals which can improve symptoms of various diseases such as sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, and cognitive dysfunction by providing personalized vagus nerve stimulation through a solution of providing both monitoring and nerve stimulation. In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a neurofeedback device, including a body attached to a user's body and configured to provide electrical stimulation to a vagus nerve region, wherein the body includes: a frame provided in a symmetrical and elliptical shape, wherein one side and another side in a longitudinal direction are concavely recessed toward a center, and attached to a user's neck; a vagus nerve stimulator located on a back surface of the frame, provided to include a plurality of electrodes for providing electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve region, and attached to skin directly above the vagus nerve region located next to carotid artery of the user; a heart rate sensor located at a center of left and right symmetry of the frame