Arrays for deep brain microstimulation and recording

描述（由申请人提供）：脑深部结构电刺激（DBS）已发展成为治疗晚期帕金森病和特发性震颤的有效方法。DBS也被评估为其他神经系统疾病的治疗方法，似乎可用于治疗几种类型的肌张力障碍和多动障碍以及难治性颞叶癫痫。丘脑下核已成为DBS治疗晚期帕金森病和某些其他运动障碍的首选靶点。许多研究已经证明了包括人类在内的许多物种的STN的地形组织。与目前临床使用的脑深部阵列相比，能够访问这种拓扑结构的临床设备很可能在治疗运动障碍方面提供更大的机会和灵活性。目前的设备使用大电极，电刺激倾向于传播相当广泛，并且可能远远超出STN的边界，这可能解释了STN中经常伴随深部脑刺激的许多副作用。通过靶核分布的刺激微电极阵列可以精确控制刺激的空间分布，从而实现更好的DBS治疗个体化和更低的副作用发生率。然而，用于临床DBS的新型阵列必须保留目前临床使用的设备的所有功能，并提供新的功能。我们的目标是开发一种微电极阵列技术，这种技术适用于慢性植入人类丘脑底核（STN）、白球内部部分，以及大脑深部的其他目标，能够从单个神经元单位长期记录，并能够提供局部微刺激和“雕刻”刺激，比目前临床使用的阵列更好地控制刺激的空间模式。但与目前的临床阵列完全“向后兼容”。除了临床应用之外，这项技术还可以用于动物研究，旨在了解深部脑刺激改善帕金森病和其他运动障碍症状的机制。这项技术将改善帕金森病和其他运动障碍患者的生活质量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Electrical stimulation in deep brain structures (DBS) has developed into an effective treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. DBS also is being evaluated as a treatment for other neurological conditions and appears to be useful in the treatment of several types of dystonias and hyperkinetic disorders and for intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. The subthalamic nucleus has become the preferred target for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's Disease and certain other motor disorders by DBS. Numerous studies have demonstrated a topographic organization of the STN of many species, including humans. It is likely that a clinical device that can access this topology will afford greater opportunities and flexibility in the treatment of motor disorders than is possible with the deep brain arrays now in clinical use. The present devices use macroelectrodes, and the electrical stimulation tends to spread quite broadly, and may extend well beyond the boundaries of the STN, which may account for many of the side effects that often accompany deep brain stimulation in the STN. An array of stimulating microelectrodes distributed through the target nucleus would permit precise control of the spatial distribution of the stimulation, allowing for better individualization of DBS therapy and a lower incidence of side effects. However, a novel array for clinical DBS must retain all of the functionality of the devices now in clinical use, as well as providing new capabilities. Our objective is develop the technology for arrays of microelectrodes that are suitable for chronic implantation into the human subthalamic nucleus (STN), the internal segment of the globus pallidus, and perhaps other targets in the deep brain, are able to record chronically from single neuronal units, and can deliver localized microstimulation and "sculpted" stimulation with much better control of the spatial pattern of stimulation than is possible with the arrays now in clinical use, but are fully "backward compatible" with the present clinical arrays. In addition to its clinical applicability, this technology can be used in animal studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms by which deep brain stimulation can ameliorate the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease and other movement disorders. This technology will improve quality of life for persons afflicted with Parkinson's Disease and other movement disorders.