Patent No. 3837331 System and method for controlling the nervous system of a living organism

 

Patent No. 3837331  System and method for controlling the nervous system of a living organism (Ross, Sep 24, 1974)

Abstract

A novel method for controlling the nervous system of a living organism for therapeutic and research purposes, among other applications, and an electronic system utilized in, and enabling the practice of the invented method. Bioelectrical signals generated in specific topological areas of the organism's nervous system, typically areas of the brain, are processed by the invented system so as to produce an output signal which is in some way an analog of selected characteristics detected in the bioelectrical signal. The output of the system, typically an audio or visual signal, is fed back to the organism as a stimulus. Responding to the stimulus, the organism can be trained to control the waveform pattern of the bioelectrical signal generated in its own nervous system. The invention system comprises means for frequency filtering, rectifying, integrating and amplifying. In addition, the system includes means for transducing the processed signal and displaying it as an output to the subject.

Notes:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to the processing and utilization of electrical signals, and more particularly to a system for processing bioelectrical signals generated in the nervous system of a living organism and a method for training the organism to control the patterns of its bioelectrical signals for therapeutic or other purposes.

2. Prior Art

The prior art does not disclose a method or means whereby a living organism can learn to control the bioelectrical brainwave or nervewave patterns generated in its own nervous system. Methods are known in the prior art whereby bioelectrical signals generated in the brain are sensed and fed back in synchronism with the generated signals so as to produce prolonged sleep and anesthesia. In the prior art methods, electrodes are used to impress the feedback signal directly upon the subject's brain, bypassing its sensory mechanism; consequently, no participation or learning is required on the part of the subject. These methods, therefore, do not enable an organism to control its nervous system. Instead, they enable a passive subject to be put to sleep or to be anesthetized. The present invention, on the other hand, teaches the conscious participation of the subject. By this invention, the feedback signal, typically an audio or visual output, is impressed upon the subject's senses, requiring the subject's conscious and voluntary response to the signal. Unlike the methods of the prior art, the subject's sensory mechanism is not bypassed by directly and electrically impressing the feedback signal upon its brain.

There are also substantial differences between the invented system and some of those disclosed by the prior art. For example, biological feedback systems of the prior art often use a carrier signal modulated by the biolelectrical signal. No such modulation is part of the present invention. Systems of the prior art often include means for shifting the phase of the feedback signal with respect to the original bioelectrical signal. In the present invention, the phase relationship between the bioelectrical signal and the feedback signal is of no particular importance. Further, the present invention does not require means for impressing an electrical signal and, therefore, electrical current, into a living organism. Consequently, it is substantially safe to its subjects while they are being treated or otherwise participating in the invented method.

Heretofore, disorders of the nervous system, such as epilepsy, have been treated exclusively by pharmaceuticals and/or surgical procedures. The present invention is based upon the discovery that a living organism, typically an animal high on the intelligence scale, can control its brainwave and nervewave patterns and bring about permanent or long lasting changes thereto by a process of learning; and, further, that the changes induced in the bioelectrical patterns can be such as to result in the substantial control of epileptic seizures and hyperkinesis. This therapeutic approach has also been shown to be useful in correcting motor disorders such as the loss of motor control attributable to a spinal cord lesion. Thus, the present invention provides a safe and practical method and system enabling the application of this discovery in many fields including neurological therapy and brain research.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is comprised of a means for detecting bioelectrical signal generated in a specific topological region of the nervous system of a living organism, typically a human being or other intelligent animal; a means for detecting particular characteristics of the detected bioelectrical signal; means for processing the signal so as to produce an output related to the presence or absence, magnitude and/or duration of the detected characteristics; and a means for transducing the output into a sensory signal presented to the organism.

The invented method requires the subject organism, utilizing its cognitive powers, to alter the particular characteristics of the detected bioelectrical signal so as to cause the sensory signal displayed to it to change to a preconceived condition, such as, for example, to increase the intensity of a light source. The preconceived condition of the sensory signal, of course, is related to a desired waveform pattern of the originally detected bioelectrical signal or, more specifically, to the attainment of one or more desired characteristic of that signal, such as, for example, the elimination of frequency components found in the brainwave patterns of persons suffering from epilepsy. By repeatedly exercising a subject in the manner just described, i.e., by extensive training utilizing the present invention, the subject can learn to control and, therefore, to determine one or more characteristics of its brainwave or nervewave patterns for therapeutic or other purposes.

Typical means for detecting the bioelectrical signal are the electroencephalograph (EEG) recorder and the polygraph recorder. The topological location in the organism's nervous system where detection is to take place is a function of the user's objective. Thus, if the present invention is to be used for epileptic therapy, the region of the brain known to be involved in epileptic seizures would be subjected to the EEG investigation. Conversely, where there is now inadequate correlation between the topology of the nervous system and its functions, the present invention provides a useful research tool capable of substantially enhancing the topological "mapping" of an organism's nervous system.

The particular characteristics of the detected bioelectrical signal which are of interest to the user are also a function of his objective. In the case of epileptic therapy, for example, the presence and amplitude of certain frequency components in the clincial EEG has been correlated with seizures. Thus, in this application, it is the frequency spectrum of the bioelectrical signal which is of interest.

In other applications it might be found that it is only necessary to detect the presence or absence of electrical or electrochemical activity at a particular location in the nervous system. For such applications, the invented system would include means for detecting the presence of a signal rather than any particular electrical characteristic of it. In still other applications the duration for which a bioelectrical signal is present may be a significant parameter requiring detection. For this reason it should be understood that the invented system is not a fixed single structure but rather a basic combination of means whose specific embodiments are adapted to suit particular applications. Similarly, the invented system is typically tuned and calibrated in accordance with the requirements of each application to which it is to be applied. This invention also contemplates the combination of means sufficient to enable multi-purpose use in a number of applications either simultaneously or by sequential selection.

Thus, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a practical and safe method and system to enable a living organism to control signficiant characteristics of its nervous system.

Another principal object of this invention is to provide a therapeutic means for the control of certain disorders of the nervous system.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a flexible tool for neurological research including topological mapping of the nervous system.

Other objects, novel features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon making reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. The description and the drawings will also further dislose the characterstics of this invention, both as to its structure and its mode of operation. Although preferred embodiments of the invention are described hereinbelow, and shown in the accompanying drawing, it is expressly understood that the descriptions and drawings thereof are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the scope of this invention.

Other variations and applications of the invented method will be apparent to persons skilled in this field without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. This invention, therefore, is not intended to be limited to the particular method disclosed herein.