US-12623082-B2 - Stimulation patterns for deep brain stimulation

US12623082B2US 12623082 B2US12623082 B2US 12623082B2US-12623082-B2

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to devices, systems, and techniques for delivering electrical stimulation. In some examples, a system includes processing circuitry configured to: receive information representative of a bioelectric brain signal recorded from a brain of a patient; and determine, based on the information, at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal. Additionally, the processing circuitry is configured to select, based on the at least one pathological frequency, a sequence of pulse bursts at a pulse burst frequency, the sequence of pulse bursts at least partially defining electrical stimulation deliverable to an area of a brain of a patient, wherein adjacent pulse bursts within the sequence comprise different intra-burst pulse frequencies; and control a medical device to deliver the electrical stimulation comprising the sequence of pulse bursts to the area of the brain of the patient.

Inventors

Rene A. Molina
Abbey Beuning Holt Becker

Assignees

MEDTRONIC, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220922

Claims (20)

1 . A system comprising: processing circuitry configured to: receive information representative of a bioelectric brain signal recorded from a brain of a patient; determine, based on the information, at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal; select, based on the at least one pathological frequency, a sequence of pulse bursts at a pulse burst frequency, the sequence of pulse bursts at least partially defining electrical stimulation deliverable to an area of the brain of the patient, wherein adjacent pulse bursts within the sequence comprise different intra-burst pulse frequencies; and control a medical device to deliver the electrical stimulation comprising the sequence of pulse bursts to the area of the brain of the patient.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein by delivering the electrical stimulation to the brain of the patient, the processing circuitry evokes synaptic depression in order to suppress the bioelectric brain signal in the area of the brain of the patient.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein an intra-burst pulse frequency of each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts is nonharmonic with an intra-burst pulse frequency of each adjacent pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the pulse burst frequency matches the at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein to select the pulse burst frequency based on the bioelectric brain signal, the processing circuitry is configured to select the pulse burst frequency so that each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts aligns with a feature of a respective cycle of the bioelectric brain signal.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts aligns with a valley of the bioelectric brain signal.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein an intra-burst pulse frequency of each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts is within a range from 70 Hertz (Hz) to 500 Hz.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sequence of pulse bursts includes a first pulse burst having an intra-burst first pulse frequency of 250 Hz, a second pulse burst having a second intra-burst pulse frequency of 70 Hz, a third pulse burst having a third intra-burst pulse frequency of 500 Hz, and fourth pulse burst having a fourth intra-burst pulse frequency of 70 Hz.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the range of pathological frequencies includes a beta frequency band extending within a range from 12 Hz to 35 Hz.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine, based on receiving the information representative of the bioelectric brain signal subsequent to delivering the electrical stimulation, that the pathological brain signal is suppressed; and control the medical device to cease delivering the electrical stimulation to the area of the brain of the patient based on determining that the pathological brain signal is suppressed.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the medical device comprises an implantable medical device.
12 . A method comprising: receiving, by processing circuitry, information representative of a bioelectric brain signal recorded from a brain of a patient; determining, by the processing circuitry and based on the information, at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal; selecting, by processing circuitry and based on the at least one pathological frequency, a sequence of pulse bursts at a pulse burst frequency, the sequence of pulse bursts at least partially defining electrical stimulation deliverable to an area of the brain of the patient, wherein adjacent pulse bursts within the sequence comprise different intra-burst pulse frequencies; and controlling, by the processing circuitry, a medical device to deliver the electrical stimulation comprising the sequence of pulse bursts to the area of the brain of the patient.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein delivering the electrical stimulation to the brain of the patient evokes synaptic depression in order to suppress the bioelectric brain signal in the area of the brain of the patient.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein an intra-burst pulse frequency of each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts is nonharmonic with an intra-burst pulse frequency of each adjacent pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts.
15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the pulse burst frequency matches the at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein selecting the pulse burst frequency based on the bioelectric brain signal comprises selecting the pulse burst frequency so that each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts aligns with a feature of a respective cycle of the bioelectric brain signal.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts aligns with a valley of the bioelectric brain signal.
18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein an intra-burst pulse frequency of each pulse burst of the sequence of pulse bursts is within a range from 70 Hertz (Hz) to 500 Hz.
19 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: determining, based on receiving the information representative of the bioelectric brain signal subsequent to delivering the electrical stimulation, that the pathological brain signal is suppressed; and controlling the medical device to cease delivering the electrical stimulation to the area of the brain of the patient based on determining that the pathological brain signal is suppressed.
20 . A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to: receive information representative of a bioelectric brain signal recorded from a brain of a patient; determine, based on the information, at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal; select, based on the at least one pathological frequency, a sequence of pulse bursts at a pulse burst frequency, the sequence of pulse bursts at least partially defining electrical stimulation deliverable to an area of the brain of the patient, wherein adjacent pulse bursts within the sequence comprise different intra-burst pulse frequencies; and control a medical device to deliver the electrical stimulation comprising the sequence of pulse bursts to the area of the brain of the patient.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/252,357, filed on Oct. 5, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure generally relates to electrical stimulation therapy, and more specifically, control of electrical stimulation therapy. BACKGROUND Medical devices may be external or implanted and may be used to deliver electrical stimulation therapy to patients via various tissue sites to treat a variety of symptoms or conditions such as chronic pain, tremor, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, urinary or fecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction, obesity, or gastroparesis. A medical device may deliver electrical stimulation therapy via one or more leads that include electrodes located proximate to target locations associated with the brain, the spinal cord, pelvic nerves, peripheral nerves, or the gastrointestinal tract of a patient. Stimulation proximate the spinal cord, proximate the sacral nerve, within the brain, and proximate peripheral nerves are often referred to as spinal cord stimulation (SCS), sacral neuromodulation (SNM), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), respectively. Patients afflicted with movement disorders or other neurodegenerative impairment, whether by disease or trauma, may experience muscle control and movement problems, such as rigidity, bradykinesia (i.e., slow physical movement), rhythmic hyperkinesia (e.g., tremor), nonrhythmic hyperkinesia (e.g., tics) or akinesia (i.e., a loss of physical movement). Movement disorders may be found in patients with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy, among other conditions. Delivery of electrical stimulation and/or a fluid (e.g., a pharmaceutical drug) by a medical device to one or more sites in a patient, such as a brain, spinal cord, leg muscle or arm muscle, in a patient may help alleviate, and in some cases, eliminate symptoms associated with movement disorders. SUMMARY In general, the disclosure is directed to devices, systems, and techniques for delivering electrical stimulation to the brain of a patient to suppress bioelectric brain signals in an area of the patient's brain. In some examples, the bioelectric brain signals of a patient may oscillate at a frequency that may be referred to as a pathological frequency of the patient because it is associated with symptoms that do not occur during normal physiologic frequencies. When the biological brain signals of the patient oscillate at such a pathological frequency, a medical device may deliver electrical stimulation to an area of the patient's brain to disrupt or desynchronize this pathological frequency, for example. The electrical stimulation may include a predetermined or dynamic sequence of pulse bursts. The medical device may deliver the sequence of pulse bursts to evoke synaptic depression without entraining a larger network of bioelectric brain signals. When the medical device evokes synaptic depression, the medical device may suppress the pathological brain signals such that the pathological brain signal are attenuated or completely eliminated, which results in reduced or eliminated symptoms associated with the pathological brain signals. In some examples, a system includes processing circuitry configured to: receive information representative of a bioelectric brain signal recorded from a brain of a patient; determine, based on the information, at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal; select, based on the at least one pathological frequency, a sequence of pulse bursts at a pulse burst frequency, the sequence of pulse bursts at least partially defining electrical stimulation deliverable to an area of a brain of a patient, wherein adjacent pulse bursts within the sequence comprise different intra-burst pulse frequencies; and control a medical device to deliver the electrical stimulation comprising the sequence of pulse bursts to the area of the brain of the patient. In some examples, a method includes receiving, by processing circuitry, information representative of a bioelectric brain signal recorded from a brain of a patient; determining, by the processing circuitry and based on the information, at least one pathological frequency of the bioelectric brain signal; selecting, by processing circuitry and based on the at least one pathological frequency, a sequence of pulse bursts at a pulse burst frequency, the sequence of pulse bursts at least partially defining electrical stimulation deliverable to an area of a brain of a patient, wherein adjacent pulse bursts within the sequence comprise different intra-burst pulse frequencies; and controlling, by the processing circuitry, a medical device to deliver the electrical stimulation comprising the sequence of pulse bursts to the area of the brain of the patient. In some examples, a computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes