Systems and methods of modulating functionality of an animal brain using arrays of planar coils configured to generate pulsed electromagnetic fields and integrated into headwear
View Patent ↗The present specification discloses a pulsed electromagnetic field system having planar microcoil arrays integrated into clothing. Preferably, each of the planar microcoil arrays has two or more planar microcoils positioned on a substrate. The planar microcoil arrays are connected to a controller configured to generate an electrical current and transmit that electrical current, in accordance with a particular stimulation protocol, to each of the planar microcoil arrays. The system may be used to suppress epileptic seizures or to provide neuroprotection to a person undergoing cardiac arrest or stroke.
1 . A pulsed electromagnetic field device configured to direct pulsed electromagnetic fields toward a brain of a user, comprising:
a head covering having an internal surface configured to receive a head of the user, wherein the head covering has a left side, a right side, a top side, a front side and a back side;
at least two planar flexible arrays, wherein:
each of the at least two planar flexible arrays comprises at least one planar microcoil integrated into a flexible substrate;
a first of the at least two planar flexible arrays is coupled to at least one of the left side, the right side, the top side, the front side or the back side of the head covering; and
a second of the at least two planar flexible arrays is coupled to at least one of the left side, the right side, the top side, the front side or the back side and is not on a same side as the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays; and
a controller configured to be electrically coupled to each of the at least two planar flexible arrays and configured to generate an electrical current, wherein each array of the at least two planar flexible arrays is configured to receive the electrical current and generate separate pulsed electromagnetic fields, wherein, during a treatment session, the controller is configured to temporally alternate electrical current delivery by directing the electrical current to the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays for a first period of time and subsequently directing the electrical current to the second of the at least two planar flexible arrays for a second period of time, wherein the first period of time and the second period of time are temporally sequential and mutually exclusive such that the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays emits a first magnetic field for the first period of time and does not emit a magnetic field during the second period of time, wherein the second of the at least two planar flexible arrays emits a second magnetic field for the second period of time and does not emit a magnetic field during the first period of time and wherein the first and second planar flexible arrays are positioned such that the brain experiences magnetic field lines traveling in different directions during the treatment session.
2 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first period of time and the second period of time is less than five minutes.
3 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein the treatment session is less than 6 contiguous hours.
4 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to direct the electrical current to each of the at least two planar flexible arrays such that, over the treatment session, a same volume of the user's brain is exposed to the separate pulsed electromagnetic fields, wherein the separate pulsed electromagnetic fields change direction depending on which of the at least two planar flexible arrays is receiving the electrical current.
5 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical current is defined by an electrical pulse train having a frequency in a range of 0.1 Hz to 60 Hz and wherein pulses of the electrical pulse train have a substantially rectangular shape.
6 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 5 , wherein said pulses have different peak levels of current and wherein the different peak levels are in a range of 5 mA to 500 mA.
7 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical current is defined by an electrical pulse train, wherein, during the first period of time, the electrical pulse train comprises at least two pulses having different current amplitudes, and wherein, during the second period of time, the electrical pulse train also comprises at least two pulses having different current amplitudes.
8 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two planar flexible arrays comprises at least 4 spiral-shaped planar microcoils that are each embedded into the flexible substrate.
9 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 8 , wherein the controller is adapted to direct the electrical current to each of the at least 4 planar microcoils in the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays concurrently during the first period of time and to each of the at least 4 planar microcoils in the second of the at least two planar flexible arrays concurrently during the second period of time.
10 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , further comprising a third of the at least two planar flexible arrays, wherein the third of the at least two planar flexible arrays is coupled to at least one of the left side, the right side, the top side, the front side or the back side and is not on the same side as the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays or on a same side as the second of the at least two planar flexible arrays.
11 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 10 , wherein the electrical current is defined by an electrical pulse train, wherein each of the first, second, and third of the at least two planar flexible arrays receives the electrical pulse train at a frequency in a range of 1 Hz to 100 Hz and wherein the controller is configured to sequentially deliver the electrical pulse train to each of the first, second, and third of the at least two planar flexible arrays.
12 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein the head covering comprises two or more layers of material and wherein the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays and the second of the at least two planar flexible arrays are positioned between the two or more layers of material.
13 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 11 , wherein the electrical pulse train comprises at least a first pulse having a first amplitude, a second pulse having a second amplitude, and a third pulse having a third amplitude, wherein the first amplitude is less than the second amplitude and the second amplitude is less than the third amplitude.
14 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 13 , wherein each of the first pulse, the second pulse, and the third pulse has a substantially rectangular shape.
15 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays and the second of the at least two planar flexible arrays each comprise at least two planar microcoils, an input terminal configured to receive the electrical current from the controller and direct the electrical current to the at least two planar flexible arrays, an output terminal configured to receive the electrical current from the at least two planar flexible arrays, and traces that electrically connect each of the at least two planar microcoils to the respective input terminal and the respective output terminal.
16 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein the head covering comprises a crown defined by the left side, the right side, the top side, the front side and the back side and a brim attached to said crown.
17 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 1 , wherein, during the first period of time, the first of the at least two planar flexible arrays generates a first magnetic field defined by a first vector extending in a first direction, wherein, during the second period of time, the second of the at least two planar flexible arrays generates a second magnetic field defined by a second vector extending in a second direction, and wherein if the first vector and the second vector were to intersect each other, the first vector and the second vector would form an angle having a value greater than 15 degrees.
18 . A pulsed electromagnetic field device configured to direct pulsed electromagnetic fields toward a brain of a user, comprising:
a head covering defined by a crown having an internal surface configured to receive a head of the user, wherein the crown has a left side, a right side, a top side, a front side and a back side;
at least three planar arrays, wherein:
each of the at least three planar arrays comprises at least two planar microcoils integrated into a substrate;
a first of the at least three planar arrays is coupled to at least one of the left side, the right side, the top side, the front side or the back side of the crown;
a second of the at least three planar arrays is coupled to at least one of the left side, the right side, the top side, the front side or the back side and is not on a same side as the first of the at least three planar arrays; and
a third of the at least three planar arrays is coupled to at least one of the left side, the right side, the top side, the front side or the back side and is not on the same side as the first of the at least three planar arrays or on a same side as the second of the at least three planar arrays; and
a controller configured to be electrically coupled to each of the at least three planar arrays and configured to generate an electrical current, wherein each array of the at least three planar arrays is configured to receive the electrical current and generate separate pulsed electromagnetic fields, wherein, during a treatment session, the controller is configured to direct the electrical current to the first of the at least three planar arrays for a first period of time, configured to temporally alternate electrical current delivery by directing the electrical current to the second of the at least three planar arrays for a second period of time, and subsequently directing the electrical current to the third of the at least three planar arrays for a third period of time, wherein the first period of time, the second period of time, and the third period of time are temporally sequential and mutually exclusive such that the first of the at least three planar arrays emits a first magnetic field for the first period of time and does not emit a magnetic field during the second period of time or the third period of time, the second of the at least three planar arrays emits a second magnetic field for the second period of time and does not emit a magnetic field during the first period of time or the third period of time, and the third of the at least three planar arrays emits a third magnetic field for the third period of time and does not emit a magnetic field during the first period of time or the second period of time and wherein the first, second and third planar arrays are positioned such that the brain experiences magnetic field lines traveling in different directions during the treatment session.
19 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 18 , wherein each of the first period of time, the second period of time, and the third period of time is less than five minutes.
20 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 18 , wherein the electrical current is defined by an electrical pulse train having a frequency in a range of 1 Hz to 60 Hz, wherein pulses of the electrical pulse train have a substantially rectangular shape, wherein said pulses of the electrical pulse train have different peak levels of current, and wherein the different peak levels are in a range of 5 mA to 500 mA.
21 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 18 , wherein the first of the at least three planar arrays, the second of the at least three planar arrays, and the third of the at least three planar arrays each comprise at least four planar microcoils, an input terminal configured to receive the electrical current from the controller and direct the electrical current to the at least three planar arrays, an output terminal configured to receive the electrical current from the at least three planar arrays, and traces to electrically connect each of the at least four planar microcoils to the respective input terminal and the respective output terminal.
22 . The pulsed electromagnetic field device of claim 18 , wherein, during the first period of time, the first of the at least three planar arrays generates a first magnetic field defined by a first vector extending in a first direction, wherein, during the second period of time, the second of the at least three planar arrays generates a second magnetic field defined by a second vector extending in a second direction, wherein, during the third period of time, the third of the at least three planar arrays generates a third magnetic field defined by a third vector extending in a third direction, and wherein if the first vector and the second vector were to intersect each other, the first vector and the second vector would form an angle having a value greater than 15 degrees and if the second vector and the third vector were to intersect each other, the second vector and the third vector would form an angle having a value greater than 15 degrees.