Electrical therapy applied to the brain with increased efficacy and/or decreased undesirable side effects, and associated systems and methods
Electrical therapy applied to the brain with increased efficacy and/or decreased undesirable side effects, and associated systems and methods, are disclosed. A representative method includes applying a therapy signal to a patient, via at least one electrode at a subdural or epidural location at the patient's brain, to provide effective therapy that reduces or eliminates the effects of a patient disorder. The therapy signal does not induce any non-therapeutic side effects, and has a frequency in a frequency range of from 1.2 kHz to 500 kHz, an amplitude in an amplitude range from 0.1 to 20 mA, and a pulse width in a pulse width range from 1 microsecond to 400 microseconds.
1. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
applying an electrical signal generated by an implanted signal generator to a patient, via at least one electrode at the patient's subthalamic nucleus (STN), to reduce or eliminate effects of a patient disorder, without the electrical signal inducing paresthesia and without the electrical signal impeding speech, wherein the electrical signal has a frequency of 10 kHz, an amplitude in an amplitude range from 0.1 to 7.5 mA, and a pulse width in a pulse width range from 30 microsecond to 35 microseconds.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient disorder includes at least one of: a motor disorder, a sensory disorder or a neuropsychiatric disorder.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the therapy signal does not induce any sensory side effects, cognitive side effects or motor side effects.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the motor side effects include at least one of twitching or dysarthria.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the sensory side effects include at least one of dysesthesia, hypoesthesia, adverse effects on temperature sensation, or pain.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the cognitive side effects include adversely affecting at least one of forming thoughts, selecting thoughts from multiple possible thoughts in an organized manner, or initiating motor actions.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient disorder includes Parkinson's disease.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the therapy signal does not induce blurring sensations, light-headedness, dizziness, vision changes, mood changes or mood alterations.
9. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
applying an electrical signal generated by an implanted signal generator to a patient, via at least one electrode at the patient's subthalamic nucleus (STN), to reduce or eliminate effects of a patient disorder, without the electrical signal impeding speech, wherein the electrical signal has a frequency of 10 kHz, an amplitude in an amplitude range from 0.1 to 20 mA, and a pulse width in a pulse width range from 1 microsecond to 400 microseconds.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the patient disorder includes at least one of: a motor disorder, a sensory disorder or a neuropsychiatric disorder.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the therapy signal does not induce any sensory side effects, cognitive side effects or motor side effects.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the motor side effects include at least one of twitching or dysarthria.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein the sensory side effects include at least one of dysesthesia, paresthesia, hypoesthesia, adverse effects on temperature sensation, or pain.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein the cognitive side effects include adversely affecting at least one of forming thoughts, selecting thoughts from multiple possible thoughts in an organized manner, or initiating motor actions.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein the patient disorder includes Parkinson's disease.
16. The method of claim 9 wherein the therapy signal does not induce blurring sensations, light-headedness, dizziness, vision changes, mood changes or mood alterations.
17. The method of claim 9 wherein the amplitude is from 0.1 mA to 10 mA.
18. The method of claim 9 wherein the amplitude is from 0.1 to 4 mA.
19. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
applying an electrical signal generated by an implanted signal generator to a patient, via at least one electrode at the patient's subthalamic nucleus (STN), to reduce or eliminate effects of a patient disorder, without the electrical signal inducing paresthesia,
wherein the electrical signal has a frequency in a frequency range from 5 kHz to 20 kHz, an amplitude in an amplitude range from 0.1 to 20 mA, and a pulse width in a pulse width range from 1 microsecond to 400 microseconds.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the patient disorder includes at least one of: a motor disorder, a sensory disorder or a neuropsychiatric disorder.
21. The method of claim 19 wherein the therapy signal does not induce twitching or dysarthria.
22. The method of claim 19 wherein the therapy signal does not induce side effects including adversely affecting at least one of forming thoughts, selecting thoughts from multiple possible thoughts in an organized manner, or initiating motor actions.
23. The method of claim 19 wherein the frequency is 5 kHz.
24. The method of claim 19 wherein the frequency is 10 kHz.
25. The method of claim 19 wherein the frequency is in a range from 5 kHz to 15 kHz.
26. The method of claim 19 wherein the amplitude is from 0.1 mA to 7 mA.
27. The method of claim 19 wherein the amplitude is from 0.1 to 4 mA.
28. The method of claim 19 , further comprising adjusting at least one of the frequency, pulse width or amplitude of the electrical signal in response to feedback received from a sensor.
29. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
applying an electrical signal generated by an implanted signal generator to a patient, via at least one electrode at the patient's subthalamic nucleus (STN), to reduce or eliminate effects of a patient disorder, without the electrical signal inducing paresthesia, wherein the electrical signal has a frequency of 10 kHz, an amplitude in an amplitude range from 0.1 to 7.5 mA, and a pulse width in a pulse width range from 30 microsecond to 35 microseconds.