Methods and systems for disease treatment using electrical stimulation
Systems for disease treatment using electrical stimulation are disclosed. A representative method for treating a patient includes changing an activity, expression, or both activity and expression of a fast sodium channel, a glial cell, or both a fast sodium channel and a glial cell of the patient by applying to a target neural population of the patient an electrical therapy signal having a frequency in a frequency range of 1.5 kHz to 100 kHz.
1. A method for treating a patient by changing an expression of a fast sodium channel of the patient, comprising:
using a signal generator to generate an electrical therapy signal having a pulse width in a pulse width range of 10 microseconds to 333 microseconds;
transmitting the electrical therapy signal to a signal delivery element positioned proximate to a target neural population;
applying the electrical therapy signal to the target neural population, wherein the electrical therapy signal
produces changes in the expression of the fast sodium channel of the patient.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical therapy signal has a frequency in a frequency range of 1.5 kHz to 100 kHz.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the target neural population is located in one or more of the patient's tissues.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the target neural population is located in one or more of the patient's organs.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the target neural population is at a peripheral nerve of the patient.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the target neural population is located in the patient's central nervous system.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the target neural population is at the patient's spinal cord.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the target neural population is at a cervical vertebral level.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the target neural population is at a thoracic vertebral level.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein the target neural population is at a lumbar vertebral level.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein the target neural population is at a sacral vertebral level.
12. The method of claim 7 wherein the target neural population is at a horsetail region.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the changes include a downregulation of the expression of the fast sodium channel of the patient.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the changes include a normalization of pathological neural networks associated with fast sodium channel expression.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein a frequency of the electrical therapy signal affects expression of NaV1.8, NaV1.9, or both NaV1.8 and NaV1.9 sodium channels over another, slower sodium channel.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying the therapy signal to increase expression of the slower sodium channel.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the slower sodium channel includes a NaV1.3 channel.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the changes include an increase in the expression of the fast sodium channel of the patient.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the changes include a decrease in the expression of the fast sodium channel of the patient.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical therapy signal has an amplitude in an amplitude range of 0.1 mA to 20 mA.
21. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical therapy signal has a duty cycle in a duty cycle range of 5% to 75%.
22. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical signal has a pulse width in a pulse width range of 10 microseconds to 333 microseconds and an amplitude in an amplitude range of 0.1 mA to 20 mA.