Implantable electroacupuncture system and method for treating depression and similar mental conditions
A method of treating a mental disorder of a patient includes 1) generating, by an electroacupuncture device implanted beneath a skin surface of the patient at or near an acupoint corresponding to at least one of a trigeminal nerve and an occipital nerve of the patient, stimulation sessions at a duty cycle that is less than 0.05, and 2) applying, by the electroacupuncture device, the stimulation sessions to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve by way a central electrode and an annular electrode located on the electroacupuncture device in accordance with the duty cycle.
1. A method of treating a mental disorder of a patient, comprising:
generating, by an electroacupuncture device implanted beneath a skin surface of the patient, stimulation sessions at a duty cycle that is less than 0.05, wherein
each stimulation session included in the stimulation sessions comprises a series of stimulation pulses,
the duty cycle is a ratio of T3 to T4,
each stimulation session included in the stimulation sessions has a duration of T3 minutes and occurs at a rate of once every T4 minutes, and
the electroacupuncture device is powered by a primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device and having an internal impedance greater than 5 ohms; and
applying, by the electroacupuncture device in accordance with the duty cycle, the stimulation sessions to at least one of a trigeminal nerve and an occipital nerve by way of an electrode array located within the patient at an acupoint corresponding to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acupoint comprises at least one of acupoints GV20 and EXHN3.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein T3 is at least 10 minutes and less than 40 minutes, and wherein T4 is at least 1440 minutes.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the electroacupuncture device from a device external to the electroacupuncture device, a control command that sets the times T3 and T4 to appropriate values configured to treat the mental disorder;
wherein the generating of the stimulation sessions is performed in accordance with the control command.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the receiving of the control command comprises detecting, with an electromagnetic field sensor included in the electroacupuncture device, a magnetic field generated by the device external to the electroacupuncture device.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying of the stimulation sessions to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve further comprises applying the stimulation sessions by way an electrode included on a lead connected to the electroacupuncture device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mental disorder comprises at least one of a major depression disorder (MDD), a generalized anxiety disorder (anxiety), bipolar disorder, a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
8. A system for treating a mental disorder of a patient, comprising:
means for generating, within an electroacupuncture device implanted beneath a skin surface of the patient, stimulation sessions at a duty cycle that is less than 0.05, wherein
each stimulation session included in the stimulation sessions comprises a series of stimulation pulses,
the duty cycle is a ratio of T3 to T4,
each stimulation session included in the stimulation sessions has a duration of T3 minutes and occurs at a rate of once every T4 minutes, and
the electroacupuncture device is powered by a primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device and having an internal impedance greater than 5 ohms; and
means for applying, in accordance with the duty cycle, the stimulation sessions to at least one of a trigeminal nerve and an occipital nerve by way of an electrode array located within the patient at an acupoint corresponding to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device has a capacity of less than 60 milliamp-hours (mAh).
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device is not rechargeable.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device is a coin-cell battery.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the electrode array comprises a central electrode of a first polarity centrally located on a first surface of a housing of the electroacupuncture device and an annular electrode of a second polarity and that is spaced apart from the central electrode; and
the applying of the stimulation sessions to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve by way of the electrode array comprises applying the stimulation sessions to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve by way of the central electrode and the annular electrode.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the annular electrode is located on the first surface of the housing.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the annular electrode comprises a ring electrode located around a perimeter edge of the housing.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the electrode array comprises a plurality of electrodes located on a lead that is attached to the electroacupuncture device; and
the applying of the stimulation sessions to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve by way of the electrode array comprises applying the stimulation sessions to at least one of the trigeminal nerve and the occipital nerve by way of the plurality of electrodes located on the lead.
16. The system of claim 8 , wherein the primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device has a capacity of less than 60 milliamp-hours (mAh).
17. The system of claim 8 , wherein the primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device is not rechargeable.
18. The system of claim 8 , wherein the primary battery located within the electroacupuncture device is a coin-cell battery.