US-12623087-B2 - Method for generating unidirectional monophasic pulse and use of such pulse

US12623087B2US 12623087 B2US12623087 B2US 12623087B2US-12623087-B2

Abstract

Method of generating a unidirectional monophasic triangular pulse using a device having a voltage bank with an adjustable voltage level; use of such a pulse to induce a current flow in an individual's brain. A voltage control device of the device includes one or more switches, such as IGBTs, and/or one or more inductors. Energy from the voltage bank is discharged into a magnetic coil of the device. When the energy in the coil reaches a predetermined peak level, the voltage of the voltage bank is rapidly changed from a first level to a second level, such that the majority of the energy in the coil is recovered while the voltage level is at the second level. In some embodiments, the first level is 5 times the second level. In some embodiments, the second level is 5 times the first level.

Inventors

Mehran TALEBINEJAD
Adrian Chan

Assignees

NEUROQORE, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20211008

Claims (8)

1 . A method for generating a pulse train using a device comprising a circuit, wherein said circuit comprises: an energy source for delivering energy to said circuit and for recovering at least a portion of said energy from said circuit, said energy source having an adjustable voltage level; at least one voltage control device for setting said voltage level of said energy source and controlling said voltage level once set; and a coil through which said energy is passed in a manner that passage of said energy creates a magnetic field around said coil, and wherein said coil is positioned near an individual's brain in a manner that said magnetic field thereby induces a current flow in said individual's brain; and said method comprises the steps of: (a) delivering said energy to said coil while said voltage level of said energy source is at a first level until said energy in said coil reaches a predetermined peak value; (b) responsive to said energy in said coil reaching said predetermined peak value, using said voltage control device to change said voltage level from a first level to a second level; (c) recovering a majority of said energy to said energy source while said voltage level is at said second level; and (d) repeating steps (a) to (c) until a predetermined number of pulses have been generated, said predetermined number of pulses comprising said pulse train; wherein the intensity of each subsequent pulse in said pulse train is within ±5% of the intensity of a first pulse in said pulse train, wherein said first level is a voltage level that is at least 5 times greater than said second level, and wherein said pulse is unidirectional, monophasic, and triangular.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one voltage control device comprises at least one semiconductor switching device.
3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one semiconductor switching device is an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).
4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one voltage control device further comprises at least one inductor.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method is used to treat a neurological condition or a neurophysiological condition of said individual.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said energy source is an energy storage device for storing energy received from a power source.
7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein said energy storage device is a capacitor.
8 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein said energy storage device is a capacitor bank.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for generating a unidirectional monophasic pulse and to using such a pulse to induce a current flow in an individual's brain. BACKGROUND To better understand the present invention, the reader is directed to the listing of citations at the end of this description. For ease of reference, these citations and references have been referred to by their listing number throughout this document. The contents of the citations in the list at the end of this description are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide according to the World Health Organization [1], with a lifetime prevalence of 10.8% [2]. Symptoms of depression include depressed mood, inability to experience pleasure, irritability and abnormalities in sleep and appetite [3]. Those suffering from depression are at an increased risk of suicide and are more likely to develop other health problems and complications, highlighting the urgent need for effective treatments [4]. Risk factors for depression are both environmental and genetic. Environmental stressors such as early life trauma, abuse, and neglect can dramatically increase the risk of depression [5]. Depression is also transmissible from parents, with some studies reporting that about half of the variability in depression can be explained by genes [6]. Although depression has no single root cause, extensive study of the neuroscience of depression reveals common themes of abnormal anatomy, imbalanced biochemistry, and altered connectivity between brain regions [7]. Psychiatric and pharmacological treatments are considered to be first-line therapies, but many patients are treatment resistant or experience relapse. According to some studies, up to 60% of patients experience relapse within 5 years of treatment [8]. The most common, fundamental cell of the brain is the neuron; the average human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons. Neurons typically have four main parts: a cell body, an axon, axon terminals, and dendrites. To send a message to another neuron, an electrical signal (called an action potential) is sent down the axon resulting in the release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers of the brain, from the axon terminals. Dendrites are the parts of the neuron that typically receive signals from other neurons, with neurotransmitters binding to receptor sites in the dendrites. At rest, a neuron is negatively charged, meaning the inside of the neuron is electrically negative compared to the space outside the cell. (For convenience, assume that the neuron typically has a resting potential of −70 mV.) Signals from other neurons can excite the neuron (make the neuron less negatively charged) or inhibit the neuron (make the neuron more negatively charged). If the combination of these incoming signals, from other neurons, excites the neuron beyond a critical threshold (for convenience, assume a threshold of −55 mV), an action potential is triggered. The action potential travels from the cell body down an axon to the axon terminal. Many neural synapses in the brain are comprised of: (1) axon terminals of the presynaptic neuron, which sends information to another neuron by releasing neurotransmitters, (2) neurotransmitter receptor sites in postsynaptic neurons (commonly in the dendrites), which receives information from another neuron, and (3) the synaptic cleft, which is the small space between the axon terminals of the presynaptic neuron and the receptor sites of the postsynaptic neuron. (Of course, the person skilled in the art would understand that other forms of synapses, e.g., axoaxonic synapses and axosomatic synapses, can also be found in the brain.) The structure of neurons allows for their efficient communication with one another. Neurons can have multiple dendrites and axon terminals, meaning they can synapse and communicate with multiple other neurons (86 billion neurons have trillions of synapses). Further, neurons are arranged in networks with multiple layers. Neuron communication is also dynamic in nature, as the strength of synapses between neurons is constantly changing. The ability of neurons to change and reorganize themselves over time is referred to as ‘neuroplasticity’. Neurons can be referred to by the class of neurotransmitters they produce. Each class of neurotransmitter has unique properties. Some neurotransmitters are inhibitory (inhibits the post-synaptic neurons) and others are excitatory (excites the post-synaptic neurons). One class of neurotransmitter is the ‘monoamines’. Monoamines include, e.g., serotonin and noradrenaline. Early studies of depression identified decreased monoamine function in the brain, leading to the idea that depression symptoms are caused by low levels of monoamines. This has been referred to as the ‘monoamine hypot