334 results about "Sympathetic nervous system" patented technology

The present invention teaches a method and apparatus for physiological modulation, including neural and gastrointestinal modulation, for the purposes of treating several disorders, including obesity, depression, epilepsy, and diabetes. This includes chronically implanted neural and neuromuscular modulators, used to modulate the afferent neurons of the sympathetic nervous system to induce satiety. Furthermore, this includes neuromuscular stimulation of the stomach to effect baseline and intermittent smooth muscle contraction to increase gastric intraluminal pressure, which induces satiety, and stimulate sympathetic afferent fibers, including those in the sympathetic trunk, splanchnic nerves, and greater curvature of the stomach, to augment the perception of satiety.

A method and apparatus for treatment of heart failure, hypertension and renal failure by stimulating the renal nerve. The goal of therapy is to reduce sympathetic activity of the renal nerve. Therapy is accomplished by at least partially blocking the nerve with drug infusion or electrostimulation. Apparatus can be permanently implanted or catheter based.

Stimulation of one or more neurons of the sympathetic nervous system, including the splenic nerve, to attenuate an immune response, including an inflammatory immune response, is discussed. Devices and systems to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system to attenuate an immune response are also discussed. Devices discussed include pulse generators and drug pumps. Systems are described as optionally having one or more sensors and operator instructions. In specific examples, stimulation of the splenic nerve of pigs with a pulse generator is shown to be safe and effective in attenuating a lipopolysaccharide-induced immune response.

A method and apparatus for treatment of cardiac and renal diseases associated with the elevated sympathetic renal nerve activity by implanting a device to block the renal nerve signals to and from the kidney. The device can be a drug pump or a drug eluding implant for targeted delivery of a nerve-blocking agent to the periarterial space of the renal artery.

This invention provides methods for mapping and ablating renal nerves to treat disease caused by systemic renal nerve hyperactivity, e.g. hypertension, heart failure, renal failure and diabetes. Also provided are catheters for performing the mapping and ablating functions.

An apparatus for renal neuromodulation includes an expandable support member having a main body portion for engaging a wall of a blood vessel proximate a renal vasculature and at least one electrode connected with the main body portion. The at least one electrode is arranged to selectively deliver electric current to a desired location where modulation of the sympathetic nervous system is effective to alter renal function. The apparatus further includes an insulative material attached to at least a portion of the main body portion for isolating blood flow through the vessel from the electric current delivered by the at least one electrode.

Non-invasive electrical nerve stimulation devices and magnetic stimulation devices are disclosed, along with methods of treating medical disorders using energy that is delivered noninvasively by such devices. The disorders comprise migraine and other primary headaches such as cluster headaches, including sinus symptoms that resemble an immune-mediated response (“sinus” headaches), irrespective of whether those symptoms arise from an allergy that is co-morbid with the headache. The disclosed methods may also be used to treat other disorders that may be co-morbid with migraine headaches, such as anxiety disorders. In preferred embodiments of the disclosed methods, one or both of the patient's vagus nerves are stimulated non-invasively. In other embodiments, parts of the sympathetic nervous system and / or the adrenal glands are stimulated.

A method and apparatus for delivering corrective therapy through hormone regulation is provided. Inhibition of sympathetic fibers by spinal cord stimulation is used to regulate the levels of hormones such as catecholamines, renin, and calcitonin gene-related peptide. The invention utilizes a closed or open loop feedback system in which physiological parameters such as the concentrations of hormones and sympathetic indicators such as heart rate and urine production are monitored and used to determine the appropriate level of neurostimulation. The site of electrical stimulation includes, but is not limited to, the spinal cord at levels T7-L2 and the associated neural fibers within a region of the T7-L2 dermatomes

A method is provided, including identifying that a subject is at risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF). Responsively to the identifying, a risk of an occurrence of an episode of the AF is reduced by coupling an electrode device to a site of a subject containing parasympathetic nervous tissue; driving, by a control unit, the electrode device to apply an electrical current to the site not responsively to any physiological parameters sensed by any device directly or indirectly coupled to the control unit; and configuring the current to stimulate autonomic nervous tissue in the site. Other embodiments are also described.

A method for the treatment of obesity or other disorders, by wireless electrical activation or inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system. This activation or inhibition can be accomplished by wirelessly stimulating the greater splanchnic nerve or other portion of the sympathetic nervous system using a wireless electrode inductively coupled with a radiofrequency field. The source of radiofrequency energy may be internal or external to the patient. This nerve activation can result in reduced food intake and increased energy expenditure.

Sympathetic nerves run through the adventitia surrounding renal arteries and are critical in the modulation of systemic hypertension. Hyperactivity of these nerves can cause renal hypertension, a disease prevalent in 30-40% of the adult population. Hypertension can be treated with neuromodulating agents (such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II inhibitors, or aldosterone receptor blockers), but requires adherence to strict medication regimens and often does not reach target blood pressure threshold to reduce risk of major cardiovascular events. A minimally invasive solution is presented here to reduce the activity of the sympathetic nerves surrounding the renal artery by locally delivering neurotoxic or nerve-blocking agents into the adventitia. Extended elution of these agents may also be accomplished in order to tailor the therapy to the patient.

A method and apparatus for treating a syncope disorder is disclosed. The method comprises coupling a first electrode to a sympathetic nerve of the patient, and then applying a first therapeutic electrical signal to the electrode to stimulate the sympathetic nerve, wherein the stimulation causes an increase in the blood pressure of the patient to a level that is above a predetermined threshold level, whereby dizziness or fainting by the patient is deterred or prevented.

A method and apparatus for physiological modulation, including neural and gastrointestinal modulation, for the purposes of treating several disorders, including obesity, depression, epilepsy, and diabetes. This includes chronically implanted neural and neuromuscular modulators, used to modulate the afferent neurons of the sympathetic nervous system to induce satiety. Furthermore, this includes neuromuscular stimulation of the stomach to effect baseline and intermittent smooth muscle contraction to increase gastric intraluminal pressure, which induces satiety, and stimulate sympathetic afferent fibers, including those in the sympathetic trunk, splanchnic nerves, and greater curvature of the stomach, to augment the perception of satiety.

An electrode device is configured to be coupled to a parasympathetic site of a subject. A control unit is configured to drive the electrode device to apply a current in bursts of one or more pulses, during “on” periods that alternate with low stimulation periods, wherein at least one of the low stimulation periods immediately following the at least one of the “on” periods has a low stimulation duration equal to at least 50% of the “on” duration; set the current applied on average during the low stimulation periods to be less than 20% of the current applied on average during the “on” periods; and ramp a number of pulses per burst during a commencement of the at least one of the “on” periods and / or a conclusion of the at least one of the “on” periods.

The present invention teaches a method and apparatus for physiological modulation, including neural and gastrointestinal modulation, for the purposes of treating several disorders, including obesity, depression, epilepsy, and diabetes. This includes chronically implanted neural and neuromuscular modulators, used to modulate the afferent neurons of the sympathetic nervous system to induce satiety. Furthermore, this includes neuromuscular stimulation of the stomach to effect baseline and intermittent smooth muscle contraction to increase gastric intraluminal pressure, which induces satiety, and stimulate sympathetic afferent fibers, including those in the sympathetic trunk, splanchnic nerves, and greater curvature of the stomach, to augment the perception of satiety.

Heart treatment equipment and a heart treatment method directed to prevention of a fatal arrhythmia by detecting a physical exercise or a mental stress by using a sensor and thereafter controlling the vagus nerve stimulation, wherein sensor means for detecting various living body information for generating a signal which designates degree of a sympathetic tone is provided and heart rate threshold for carrying out the vagus nerve stimulation is adjusted according to the living body information detected by the sensor means. Further, a nerve stimulation parameter for adjusting the strength of the vagus nerve stimulation is adjusted in response to the degree of the patient sympathetic tone.

The present invention teaches a method and apparatus for physiological modulation, including neural and gastrointestinal modulation, for the purposes of treating several disorders, including obesity, depression, epilepsy, and diabetes. This includes chronically implanted neural and neuromuscular modulators, used to modulate the afferent neurons of the sympathetic nervous system to induce satiety. Furthermore, this includes neuromuscular stimulation of the stomach to effect baseline and intermittent smooth muscle contraction to increase gastric intraluminal pressure, which induces satiety, and stimulate sympathetic afferent fibers, including those in the sympathetic trunk, splanchnic nerves, and greater curvature of the stomach, to augment the perception of satiety.

This invention relates to a method for the biochemical treatment of persistent pain disorders by inhibiting the biochemical mediators of inflammation in a subject comprising administering to said subject any one of several combinations of components that are inhibitors of biochemical mediators of inflammation. Said process for biochemical treatment of persistent pain disorders is based on Sota Omoigui's Law, which states: ‘The origin of all pain is inflammation and the inflammatory response’. Sota Omoigui's Law of Pain unifies all pain syndromes as sharing a common origin of inflammation and the inflammatory response. The various biochemical mediators of inflammation are present in differing amounts in all pain syndromes and are responsible for the pain experience. Classification and treatment of pain syndromes should depend on the complex inflammatory profile. A variety of mediators are generated by tissue injury and inflammation. These include substances produced by damaged tissue, substances of vascular origin as well as substances released by nerve fibers themselves, sympathetic fibers and various immune cells. Biochemical mediators of inflammation that are targeted for inhibition include but are not limited to: prostaglandin, nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1-alpha, interleukin 1-beta, interleukin-4, Interleukin-6 and interleukin-8, histamine and serotonin, substance P, Matrix Metallo-Proteinase, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide as well as the potent inflammatory mediator peptide proteins neurokinin A, bradykinin, kallidin and T-kinin.

A method and apparatus for treatment of cardiac and renal diseases associated with the elevated sympathetic renal nerve activity by implanting a device to block the renal nerve signals to and from the kidney. The device can be a drug pump or a drug eluding implant for targeted delivery of a nerve-blocking agent to the periarterial space of the renal artery.

The present invention teaches a method and apparatus for user control and operation of physiological modulation, including neural and gastrointestinal modulation, for the purposes of treating several disorders, including obesity, metabolic disease, and other conditions. This includes programming of neuromodulatory signal for the modulation of autonomic neural and neuromuscular modulators, used to modulate tissues, including the afferent neurons of the sympathetic nervous system to induce satiety and efferent neurons to modulate metabolism. The apparatus and methods include a conformal neuromodulator array which facilitates minimally invasive placement of neuromodulators in communication with target tissues.

A method for the treatment of obesity or other disorders by electrical activation or inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system is disclosed. This activation or inhibition can be accomplished by stimulating the greater splanchnic nerve or other portion of the sympathetic nervous system using an electrode. This nerve activation can result in reduced food intake and increased energy expenditure.

A method and apparatus for treatment of heart failure, hypertension and renal failure by stimulating the renal nerve. The goal of therapy is to reduce sympathetic activity of the renal nerve. Therapy is accomplished by at least partially blocking the nerve with drug infusion or electrostimulation. Apparatus can be permanently implanted or catheter based.

Devices, systems and methods are described which control blood pressure and nervous system activity by stimulating baroreceptors. By selectively and controllably activating baroreceptors and / or nerves, the present invention reduces blood pressure and alters the sympathetic nervous system; thereby minimizing deleterious effects on the heart, vasculature and other organs and tissues. A baroreceptor activation device or other sensory activation device is positioned near a dermal bone to provide the treatment.