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Techniques-of-treating-neurodegenerative-disorders-by-brain-infusion

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Techniques of treating neurodegenerative disorders by brain infusion

Details

Inventors: Elsberry, Dennis D.; Rise, Mark T.;
Assignee: Medtronic, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN)
Primary Examiner: Buiz; Michael
Assistant Examiner: Truong; Kevin
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.

Techniques for infusing drugs into the brain to treat neurodegenerative disorders by an implantable pump and catheter. The drugs are capable of altering the level of excitation of neruons in the brain. A sensor is used to detect an attribute of the nervous system which reflects the hyperexcitation of the nerve cells projecting onto the degenerating nerve cells. A microprocessor algorithm analyzes the output from the sensor in order to regulate the amount of drug delivered to the brain.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A preferred form of the invention can treat a neurodegenerative disorder, such as Parkinson's disease Huntington's or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), by means of an implantable pump and a catheter having a proximal end coupled to the pump and having a discharge portion for infusing therapeutic dosages of the one or more drugs capable of altering the level of excitation of neurons of the brain.
The catheter is implanted in the brain so that the discharge portion lies adjacent to a predetermined infusion site in the basal ganglia or thalamus of the brain.
Alternatively, the catheter may be implanted in a ventricle of the brain or subdurally so that the discharge portion lies within the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF).
The pump is operated to discharge a predetermined dosage of the one or more drugs through the discharge portion of the catheter into the infusion site.
By using the foregoing method, the neurodegeneration that occurs in diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, can be alleviated or prevented.
According to one embodiment of the invention, one or more drugs can decrease excitement of the subthalamus or increase inhibition of the subthalamus.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the one or more drugs can increase excitement of the thalamus or decrease inhibition of the thalamus.
Another form of the invention uses a sensor in combination with the implantable pump and catheter to administer one or more drugs capable of altering the level of excitation of nerurons of the brain to treat a neurodegenerative disorder.
In this form of the invention, the sensor generates a signal relating to an attribute of the nervous system which indicates the hyperexcitation of the degenerating neurons or the neurons related to the degenerating neurons.
Control means responsive to the sensor signal regulate the therapeutic dosage.
For example, the dosage can be increased in response to an increase in the hyperexcitation of the neurons and is decreased in response to a decrease in the hyperexcitation of the neurons

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