IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,285,606
Granted Patent B1
US 12,285,606 · App. 17/675,944 · Granted Apr 29, 2025

Comprehensive second-language acquisition system leveraging sleep neuromodulation and neuroaugmented executive control

Inventors: Jaehoon Choe (Agoura Hills, CA); Praveen K. Pilly (West Hills, CA)
Assignee: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
A61N1/3603A61B5/291A61B5/4809A61B5/6814A61B5/7475A61N1/0456G06F9/542G09B19/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,285,606
App. No.
17/675,944
Granted
Apr 29, 2025
Kind
B1
Abstract

A neuro-stimulation system having: a controller; a user interface arranged for, under control of the controller, providing a user with a series of information elements to be learned by the user; a non-invasive brain stimulator arranged for, under the control of the controller, tagging each information element of said series of information elements by stimulating a brain of the user with a different, unique, associated brain stimulus when the user is provided said information element by said user interface; and a non-invasive brain sensor arranged for sending to the controller data indicating a slow-wave sleep period of the user; wherein the controller is further arranged for cueing each information element of said series of information elements by causing the stimulator to stimulate the brain of the user with the brain stimuli associated with said series of information elements during said slow-wave sleep period of the user.

Claims (34)

1. A neuro-stimulation system comprising:

a curriculum and stimulation scheduler arranged for associating a different brain stimulus to each information element of a series of information elements to be learned by a user;

a user sensory interface arranged for providing the user with said series of information elements;

a user neural interface arranged for stimulating a brain of the user with the brain stimulus associated to each information element when said information element is provided to the user by said user sensory interface;

wherein at least one of the user sensory interface and the user neural interface is provided for outputting respectively sensory data indicative of the user successfully learning said information elements and neural data indicative of the user successfully learning said information elements;

the system further comprising a predictive model arranged for receiving at least one of said sensory and neural data, and for providing the curriculum and stimulation scheduler with data about an efficiency of each different brain stimulus;

the curriculum and stimulation scheduler being arranged for updating what brain stimulus is associated to what information element, said updating including associating a different brain stimuli related to a different successfully learned information element to each of a plurality of information elements poorly learned by the user.

2. The neuro-stimulation system of claim 1 , wherein the user sensory interface comprises at least one of a keyboard, a screen, a microphone and a speaker.

3. The neuro-stimulation system of claim 1 , wherein the user neural interface comprises a headgear having a plurality of electroencephalogram electrodes and a plurality of transcranial direct current stimulation electrodes.

4. The neuro-stimulation system of claim 1 , wherein each different brain stimulus comprises a spatio-temporal, amplitude-modulated pattern of neural stimulation electrical signals.

5. The neuro-stimulation system of claim 1 , wherein the user neural interface is arranged to sense data indicative of a slow-wave sleep period of the user; and wherein the user neural interface is arranged to stimulate the brain of the user with the brain stimuli associated with said series of information elements during said slow-wave sleep period of the user.

6. A neuro-stimulation method comprising:

with a curriculum and stimulation scheduler, associating a different brain stimulus to each information element of a series of information elements to be learned by a user;

with a user sensory interface, providing the user with said series of information elements;

with a user neural interface, stimulating a brain of the user with the different brain stimulus associated to each information element when said information element is provided to the user by said user sensory interface;

with at least one of the user sensory interface and the user neural interface, outputting respectively sensory data indicative of the user successfully learning said information elements and neural data indicative of the user successfully learning said information elements;

with a predictive model, receiving at least one of said sensory and neural data, and providing the curriculum and stimulation scheduler with data about the efficiency of each different brain stimulus; and

with the curriculum and stimulation scheduler, updating what brain stimulus is associated to what information element, said updating including associating a different brain stimuli related to a different successfully learned of information element to each of a plurality of information elements poorly learned by the user.

7. The neuro-stimulation method of claim 6 , wherein said user sensory interface comprises at least one of a keyboard, a screen, a microphone and a speaker.

8. The neuro-stimulation method of claim 6 , wherein said user neural interface comprises a headgear with a plurality of electroencephalogram electrodes and a plurality of transcranial direct current stimulation electrodes.

9. The neuro-stimulation method of claim 6 , wherein each different brain stimulus comprises a spatio-temporal, amplitude-modulated pattern of neural stimulation electrical signals.

10. The neuro-stimulation method of claim 6 further comprising:

with the user neural interface, sensing data indicative of a slow-wave sleep period of the user; and

with the user neural interface, stimulating the brain of the user with the brain stimuli associated with said series of information elements during said slow-wave sleep period of the user.

11. The neuro-stimulation system of claim 1 , wherein the series of information elements to be learned by the user comprises one of:

a series of words of a vocabulary lists in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a word of said series of words;

a series of grammar rules in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a grammar rule of said series of grammar rules;

a series of pronunciation exercises in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a pronunciation exercise of said series of pronunciation exercises; and

a series of prosody examples in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a prosody example of said series of prosody examples.

12. The neuro-stimulation method of claim 6 , wherein the series of information elements to be learned by the user comprises one of:

a series of words of a vocabulary lists in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a word of said series of words;

a series of grammar rules in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a grammar rule of said series of grammar rules;

a series of pronunciation exercises in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a pronunciation exercise of said series of pronunciation exercises; and

a series of prosody examples in a foreign language to be learned by the user, each information element being a prosody example of said series of prosody examples.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 17, 2023
From: CHOE, JAEHOON; PILLY, PRAVEEN K.
To: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 063011/0347 →
Continuity (3)
Division 16375598 · Apr 4, 2019
Continuation In Part 15947733 · Apr 6, 2018
Provisional Application 62755993 · Nov 5, 2018
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