Method for noninvasive focalized deep brain stimulation

INV-21009

The clinical use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is among the most prominent achievements in the field of neuroscience in the past two decades. The use of TMS to intervene with malfunctioning brain circuits has revolutionized the way neural disorders are treated and understood. TMS, as an FDA-approved technique, has provided remarkable relief to patients with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and other debilitating disorders. TMS is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, does not require surgery, and does not inflict physical damage to the brain. However, it suffers from multiple fundamental limitations that the scientific community has been unable to solve during the past two decades: TMS cannot do deep brain stimulation (DBS). This is because of the rapid attenuation of the magnetic field generated by the TMS coil, leading to a maximum effective stimulation depth of around 2-3cm beneath the scalp.

 

In this invention, the core of this novel brain stimulation technique is deploying the time domain interference of two high-frequency magnetic fields which create a localized low-frequency envelope capable of targeting any depth inside the brain. The neural system cannot follow or respond to each of the high-frequency magnetic fields alone, but it can respond to the low-frequency component resulting from their interference. The low-frequency beam can non-invasively stimulate deep brain areas with a high resolution without impacting the peripheral regions.

The results of this invention will set the stage for further advancements in which the magnetic temporal interference (MTI) technique is designed and optimized for noninvasive, ultra-high-resolution, deep brain stimulation in the research environment as well as clinical and human studies.

 

- MTI can target central parts of the brain without impacting the peripheral areas 

- The spatial resolution of MTI technique is higher than that of TMS 

- It is possible to apply high-frequency sine wave signals (~10s of kHz) to the coils and therefore the induced electric field and electric field gradient generated by MTI coils can be significantly boosted

- MTI technique is completely noninvasive 

 

- Noninvasive, high‑resolution, deep brain stimulation to treat various neural disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, depression, stroke, essential tremor, dystonia, and other debilitating disorders

 

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