I-Corps: minimally invasive deep brain stimulation using temporally interfering electromagnetic waves

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，它旨在通过改善帕金森氏症患者的身体健康，减轻与护理相关的成本，并防止失业，恢复他们的自主性。目前治疗耐药帕金森氏症的方法被称为脑深部刺激，需要在脑组织内植入电极，这可能会导致手术并发症，如颅内出血或中风。拟议的项目提供了一种微创的方式来持续刺激大脑。由于其可连续操作和便携的性质，该刺激设备最适合于治疗帕金森氏症患者。这项技术还可以有效地治疗特发性震颤、癫痫和抑郁症等疾病，这些疾病是深部脑刺激手术的传统候选对象。这种方法可以通过提供以前的电刺激方法所没有的好处，开启神经调节技术的新篇章。这可能会产生巨大的社会影响，因为根据帕金森基金会的数据，全球有1000万帕金森氏症患者。具体地说，美国有100万帕金森氏症患者，每年有近9万名患者被诊断为帕金森氏症。在美国，每年与帕金森氏症相关的医疗成本估计为520亿美元。这个i-Corps项目基于脑刺激植入物的开发，这种植入物使用两个类似的千兆赫兹电磁波叠加，通过内脏植入的天线阵列传输，以产生低频包络信号，以高度聚焦的方式刺激大脑深处的目标，但又是微创的。刺激是基于以下关键因素：i)使用天线可以非常有效地辐射GHz电磁波，这是一种成熟和具有成本效益的技术。由于天线的大小与工作频率成反比，人们可以在GHz频率上使用非常小的天线。(Ii)可以将多个单天线组合在一起以形成天线阵列。阵列中天线的数量越多，刺激波束就变得越窄，穿透到脑组织更深。(Iii)由于GHz电磁波的波长很小，刺激提供的自由度是现有脑刺激技术的两倍，以实现局灶性脑刺激。(Iv)此外，可以在不改变天线阵列位置的情况下刺激脑组织内的多个目标。这比用于脑刺激的最先进的侵入性电极要灵活得多。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is that it aims to restore the autonomy of patients with Parkinson's disease by improving their physical well-being, easing the costs associated with caregiving, and preventing the loss of employment. The current approach to treating medication-resistant Parkinson's disease, called Deep Brain Stimulation, requires electrode implantation inside the brain tissue that creates potential for surgical complications like intracranial hemorrhage or stroke. The proposed project provides a minimally-invasive way to stimulate the brain continuously. The stimulation device is best suited for treating patients with Parkinson's disease due to its continuously operable and portable nature. The technology may also effectively treat disorders like essential tremor, epilepsy, and depression, which are traditional candidates for deep brain stimulation surgery. This methodology can open a new chapter in neuromodulation technologies by offering benefits not shared by prior methodologies of electrical stimulation. This could have a huge social impact as, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation, there are 10 million Parkinson's disease patients globally. Specifically, one million patients in the US live with Parkinson's disease, and nearly 90,000 patients are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease yearly. In the US, the healthcare costs associated with Parkinson's disease are estimated to be $52 billion a year.This I-Corps project is based on the development of brain stimulation implants that use the superposition of two similar giga-hertz electromagnetic waves, transmitted by endocranially implanted antenna arrays, for creating a low-frequency envelop signal to stimulate deep brain targets in a highly focused, and yet minimally invasive fashion. The stimulation is based on the following key factors: i) GHz EM waves can be radiated very effectively using antennas, a mature and cost-effective technology. Since the size of an antenna is inversely proportional to the operating frequency, one can use very small antennas at GHz frequencies. (ii) Multiple single antennas can be grouped together to create an antenna array. The higher the number of antennas in an array, the narrower the stimulating beams becomes, penetrating deeper into the brain tissue. (iii) Due to the small wavelength of GHz EM waves, the stimulation offers twice the degrees-of-freedom as prior brain stimulation technologies to achieve focal brain stimulation. (iv) Additionally, one can stimulate multiple targets inside the brain tissue without changing the location of the antenna arrays. This is significantly more flexible than state-of-the-art invasive electrodes for brain stimulation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.