Device for auditory stimulation

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a device and method for auditory stimulation designed to treat neurological and psychiatric conditions related to abnormal, synchronized neural activity (such as tinnitus). The device generates an acoustic signal with multiple frequencies, delivered via the ear, that targets different neuron subpopulations in the auditory cortex and resets their oscillatory phases at different times. This process reduces or eliminates pathological synchronization within the neuron population, promoting desynchronization and potentially restoring more normal brain activity patterns.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Treatment of tinnitus (ringing in the ears) by disrupting synchronous neural oscillations associated with the symptom.
• Management of neurological disorders involving abnormal neural synchronization, such as migraines or cluster headaches.
• Assistance in alleviating psychiatric conditions like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mania, or schizophrenia by modulating brain network connectivity.
• Reduction of symptoms in movement disorders or tremors (e.g., through sensor-driven closed-loop feedback using accelerometers).
• Therapy for sleep disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addictions, or bruxism (teeth grinding) based on neural desynchronization.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Provides a non-invasive approach to treating conditions related to pathological neuron synchronization, especially compared to pharmacological or deep brain stimulation methods.
• Enables targeted, adjustable, and customizable stimulation based on detected neural activity, with options for open-loop or sensor-driven closed-loop stimulation.
• Potential for durable therapeutic effects due to neural network reorganization and lasting desynchronization after treatment.
• Adaptable to a wide range of disorders beyond tinnitus, including headaches, psychiatric illnesses, sleep, and movement disorders.
• Can be implemented with commercially available components (such as earphones, sensors), allowing comfort and ease of use for patients.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The device has (100) has a stimulation unit (11) for producing an acoustic stimulation signal (15) and for stimulating a population of neurons during an entry over an ear of a patient, where the acoustic stimulation signal exhibits two frequencies. The frequencies cause that the phase of an abnormal synchronous and oscillatory neural activity of two subpopulations of the stimulated neuron population are canceled at different times, respectively. The acoustic stimulation signal causes a desynchronization of the stimulated neuron population. An independent claim is also included for a method for auditory stimulation.