Method of Treating Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders

Abstract

The present invention relates, in general, to movement disorders and, in particular, to a method of treating movement disorders, including Parkinson's Disease.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method of continuous therapy for disrupting pathological synchronous neural activity in the brain of a patient suffering from a psychiatric disorder, the method comprising:
 continuously stimulating a peripheral cranial nerve, dorsal sensory roots of spinal nerves, or posterior funiculi of the spinal cord of said patient, wherein the continuous stimulation consists of tonic electrical stimulation under conditions such that said neural activity is disrupted.   
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein said psychiatric disorder is epilepsy, depression, or obsessive compulsive disorder. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein said electrical stimulation is delivered by an implanted peripheral nerve cuff electrode. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein said stimulation disrupts pathological synchronous activity in the motor cortex or basal ganglia of said patient. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein an infraorbital nerve is stimulated. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein posterior funiculi are stimulated. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein said stimulation is delivered with electrodes positioned epidurally above the dorsal column of said patient. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein a trigeminal nerve is stimulated. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein said trigeminal nerve is stimulated transcutaneously. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said stimulation comprises biphasic square constant current pulses. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein said pulses are emitted at a frequency of 100 to 300 Hz. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  wherein said biphasic pulses have pulse durations between 250 us and 1 msec. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 18  comprising continuously stimulating posterior funiculi of the spinal cord of said patient. 
     
     
         31 . A method of continuous therapy for disrupting pathological synchronous neural activity in the brain of a patient having epilepsy, depression, or obsessive compulsive disorder, said method comprising:
 continuously stimulating dorsal sensory roots of spinal nerves or posterior funiculi of the spinal cord of said patient using tonic electrical stimulation via epidural implanted bipolar electrodes under conditions such that said neural activity is disrupted,   wherein said method does not include acquiring field potential data indicative of a the patient's electrical brain activity in real-time and analyzing the field potential data to identify seizure-related brain activity.   
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 31 , wherein said patient is receiving dopamine. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 32 , wherein said stimulation modulates corticostriatal activity.