METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES FOR PAIRING VAGUS NERVE STIMULATION WITH MOTOR THERAPY IN STROKE PATIENTS

摘要

A method of treating motor deficits in a stroke patient, comprising assessing a patient's motor deficits, determining therapeutic goals for the patient, based on the patient's motor deficits, selecting therapeutic tasks based on the therapeutic goals, performing each of the selected therapeutic tasks repetitively, observing the performance of the therapeutic tasks, initiating the stimulation of the vagus nerve manually at approximately a predetermined moment during the performance of the therapeutic tasks, stimulating the vagus nerve of the patient during the performance of the selected therapeutic tasks, and improving the patient's motor deficits.

主权项

1. A method of improving motor deficits in a stroke patient, comprising:
selecting one or more therapeutic tasks; observing repetitive performances by the patient of the selected therapeutic task; stimulating a vagus nerve of the patient with an implanted neurostimulator that delivers pulse trains of electrical stimulation energy to the vagus nerve while the patient is performing a movement of the selected therapeutic task; terminating the stimulation of the vagus nerve so that there is no stimulation between movement execution; and improving the patient's motor deficits, wherein the action of stimulating the vagus nerve of the patient further comprises determining respective beginnings of performances of the selected therapeutic task, and applying the pulse trains to the vagus nerve based on the determined beginnings of the performances, and wherein the stimulation pulse trains begin after the beginning of the respective selected therapeutic tasks, wherein the vagus nerve stimulation pulse trains end prior to the end of the respective selected therapeutic tasks, and wherein the vagus nerve stimulation pulse train is not presented between performances of the selected therapeutic task.