System and method for post-stroke neural rehabilitation

摘要

A method for treating a patient suffering from loss of muscle control and/or function in a body region after a stroke includes epidurally applying electrical stimulation to a spinocerebellar tract of the patient (e.g., at or above the vertebral level of the spinal cord where the sensory and motor mapping for the body region are located), thereby increasing cortical excitability and facilitating the patient regaining muscle control and/or function in the body region. The method may include using cortical mapping to determine a cortical region having a residual motor response in or near the body region, implanting an electrode in a lateral epidural space, and applying the electrical stimulation in a manner that causes excitability in the cortical region having the residual motor response, wherein the stimulation is applied by the implanted electrode. The method may include exercising the body region while simultaneously applying the electrical stimulation.

主权项

1. A method for treating a patient suffering from at least one of loss of muscle control and loss of muscle function in a body region after a stroke, the method comprising:
epidurally applying electrical activation energy to a spinocerebellar tract of the patient using one or more of a plurality of electrodes implanted within an epidural space of the patient adjacent a lateral column of a spinal cord of the patient and to one lateral side of a ventral medial fissure of the spinal cord of the patient, thereby increasing cortical excitability and facilitating the patient regaining at least one of muscle control and muscle function in the body region.