Patents by Inventor Peter A. Tass

Peter A. Tass has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230264018
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to a medical treatment device (10) for stimulating neurons of a patient to suppress a pathologically synchronous activity of the neurons. The device (10) comprises a non-invasive stimulation unit (12) configured for simultaneously administering at least one acoustic stimulus and at least one non-acoustic stimulus to a patient's body, each of which is configured to suppress the pathologically synchronous activity when being administered to the patient's body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: GRETAP AG
    Inventor: Alexander Peter Tass
  • Publication number: 20230131710
    Abstract: Systems and methods for neurofeedback-triggered therapy for neurological conditions in accordance with embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes a neurofeedback-triggered therapy system, including a plurality of vibrotactile stimulators, a brain activity recorder, and a controller, including a processor, and a memory, the memory containing a neurofeedback application, where in order to condition a user to reduce the symptoms of a neurological condition on demand triggered by upregulating sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) activity, the neurofeedback application directs the processor to obtain brain activity data from the brain activity recorder, identify sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) spindles in the brain activity data, and provide vibrotactile Coordinated Reset (vCR) stimulation to a user using the plurality of vibrotactile stimulators when SMR spindles are identified, where the vCR stimulation reduces the symptoms of a neurological condition of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicant: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Peter A. Tass
  • Publication number: 20210268289
    Abstract: An apparatus for treatment of a patient using multichannel desynchronizing stimulation includes: (1) n stimulation contacts, with n being 2 or greater; (2) a signal generator connected to the n stimulation contacts; and (3) a controller connected to the signal generator to direct operation of the signal generator, wherein the controller is configured to direct the signal generator to apply a sequence of stimuli through the n stimulation contacts, such that inter-stimulation times in the sequence are time-varying, and successive stimuli in the sequence are non-overlapping in time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicant: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Peter Tass, Justus Alfred Kromer
  • Patent number: 10973733
    Abstract: A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity in which the neuron population is firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit that generates an acoustic stimulation signal that includes both a first tone and a second tone. The first tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a first subpopulation of the neuron population relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a second subpopulation of the neuron population when the first tone is acoustically received by the patient. Further, the second tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the second subpopulation relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the first subpopulation when the second tone is acoustically received by the patient. As a result, the acoustic stimulation signal desynchronizes the stimulated neuron population.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JUELICH GMBH
    Inventors: Peter A. Tass, Hans-Joachim Freund, Oleksandr Popovych, Birgit Utako Barnikol, Joel Niederhauser, Jean-Christophe Roulet, Urban Schnell
  • Publication number: 20180325770
    Abstract: A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity in which the neuron population is firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit that generates an acoustic stimulation signal that includes both a first tone and a second tone. The first tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a first subpopulation of the neuron population relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a second subpopulation of the neuron population when the first tone is acoustically received by the patient. Further, the second tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the second subpopulation relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the first subpopulation when the second tone is acoustically received by the patient. As a result, the acoustic stimulation signal desynchronizes the stimulated neuron population.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Peter A. TASS, Hans-Joachim FREUND, Oleksandr POPOVYCH, Birgit Utako BARNIKOL, Joel NIEDERHAUSER, Jean-Christophe ROULET, Urban SCHNELL
  • Patent number: 9987191
    Abstract: A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity in which the neuron population is firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit that generates an acoustic stimulation signal that includes both a first tone and a second tone. The first tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a first subpopulation of the neuron population relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a second subpopulation of the neuron population when the first tone is acoustically received by the patient. Further, the second tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the second subpopulation relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the first subpopulation when the second tone is acoustically received by the patient. As a result, the acoustic stimulation signal desynchronizes the stimulated neuron population.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JUELICH GMBH
    Inventors: Peter A. Tass, Urban Schnell, Jean-Christophe Roulet, Oleksandr Popovych, Joel Niederhauser, Hans-Joachim Freund, Birgit U. Barnikol
  • Patent number: 9592384
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for desynchronizing neuronal brain activity of a patient in which the brain activity involves a neuron population firing in a synchronized manner. The method includes measuring a pathological frequency g of the neuronal brain activity of the patient, where the pathological frequency g relates to a pathological disorder of the patient. The method further includes calculating a stimuli frequency f based on the measured pathological frequency g, where the stimuli frequency f is calculated as being equal to the measured pathological frequency g×n/m, where n is 1, 2 or 3 and m is 1, 2 or 3, and controlling an electrode to generate stimuli in sequence with the stimuli succeeding each other at the stimuli frequency f, where the stimuli stimulate the neuron population of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
    Inventor: Peter A. Tass
  • Publication number: 20160243364
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for desynchronizing neuronal brain activity of a patient in which the brain activity involves a neuron population firing in a synchronized manner. The method includes measuring a pathological frequency g of the neuronal brain activity of the patient, where the pathological frequency g relates to a pathological disorder of the patient. The method further includes calculating a stimuli frequency f based on the measured pathological frequency g, where the stimuli frequency f is calculated as being equal to the measured pathological frequency g×n/m, where n is 1, 2 or 3 and m is 1, 2 or 3, and controlling an electrode to generate stimuli in sequence with the stimuli succeeding each other at the stimuli frequency f, where the stimuli stimulate the neuron population of the patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventor: Peter A. Tass
  • Patent number: 9302069
    Abstract: A device and method for providing stimulation signals that reset the phase of the neuronal activity of neurons in a patient's brain. The device includes a control unit; and a stimulation unit that has a plurality of stimulation elements, and each stimulation element generates visual stimulation signals that reset the phase of the neuronal activity of the neurons when the signals are taken up via an eye of a patient and transmitted to neurons that are exhibiting a pathologically synchronous and oscillatory neuronal activity. The control unit is further capable of actuating the stimulation unit such that the stimulation elements generate the visual stimulation signals with a time offset in respect to one another and/or with differing phase and/or with differing polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignees: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Universitaet zu Koeln
    Inventors: Peter A. Tass, Birgit Utako Barnikol, Christian Hauptmann, Karim Haroud, Jean-Christophe Roulet, Urban Schnell
  • Patent number: 9119583
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlled modulation of physiological and pathological neuronal rhythmic activity in the brain by means of sensory stimulation, which is capable of diagnostically ascertaining functional disorders in the brain and of alleviating or eliminating the symptoms of a functional disruption. According to the invention, the method comprises generating a plurality of pulses at a plurality of excitation frequencies, respectively, to stimulate neuronal rhythmic activity in a patient's brain; measuring the neuronal rhythmic activity in response to the pulses; determining an excitation frequency in which the measured neuronal rhythmic activity has a maximum amplitude of pathological rhythm; generating an entraining periodic pulse sequence operating at the excitation frequency; and generating a desynchronization pulse following the entraining periodic pulse sequence to desynchronize the neuronal rhythmic activity, where the pulse are either visual or acoustic or tactile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: FORSCHUNGZENTRUM JULICH GMBH
    Inventor: Peter A. Tass
  • Publication number: 20140336547
    Abstract: A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity in which the neuron population is firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit that generates an acoustic stimulation signal that includes both a first tone and a second tone. The first tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a first subpopulation of the neuron population relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of a second subpopulation of the neuron population when the first tone is acoustically received by the patient. Further, the second tone is provided to shift the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the second subpopulation relative to the phase of the neuronal brain activity of the first subpopulation when the second tone is acoustically received by the patient. As a result, the acoustic stimulation signal desynchronizes the stimulated neuron population.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Peter A. Tass, Urban Schnell, Jean-Christophe Roulet, Oleksandr Popovych, Joel Niederhauser, Hans-Joachim Freund, Birgit U. Barnikol
  • Patent number: 8825167
    Abstract: A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity involving a neuron population firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit configured to generate an acoustic stimulation signal to stimulate the neuron population when the acoustic stimulation signal is aurally received by the patient. Furthermore, the acoustic stimulation signal has a first frequency and a second frequency, with the first frequency provided to reset the phase of the neuronal brain activity in a first sub-population of the stimulated neuron population, and the second frequency provided to reset the phase of the neuronal brain activity in a second sub-population of the stimulated neuron population.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignees: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, ANM Adaptive Neuromodulation GmbH, Universitaet Zu Koeln
    Inventors: Peter A. Tass, Hans-Joachim Freund, Oleksandr Popovych, Birgit Utako Barnikol, Joel Niederhauser, Jean-Christophe Roulet, Urban Schnell
  • Patent number: 8721695
    Abstract: A device with a control unit and a plurality of stimulation units configured to be implanted in the body of a patient and generate optical stimuli, wherein the optical stimuli reset the phase of the neuronal activity of the neurons during the stimulation of neurons exhibiting abnormally synchronous and oscillatory neuronal activity, and the control unit is configured to actuate the stimulation units such that at least two of the stimulation units reset the phases of the respectively stimulated neurons at different times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignees: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, ANM Adaptive Neuromodulation GmbH
    Inventors: Peter A. Tass, Marcus Goetz, Bernhard Pelz, Stefan Fischer, Jean-Christophe Roulet, Urban Schnell
  • Publication number: 20140107525
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlled modulation of physiological and pathological neuronal rhythmic activity in the brain by means of sensory stimulation, which is capable of diagnostically ascertaining functional disorders in the brain and of alleviating or eliminating the symptoms of a functional disruption. According to the invention, the method comprises generating a plurality of pulses at a plurality of excitation frequencies, respectively, to stimulate neuronal rhythmic activity in a patient's brain; measuring the neuronal rhythmic activity in response to the pulses; determining an excitation frequency in which the measured neuronal rhythmic activity has a maximum amplitude of pathological rhythm; generating an entraining periodic pulse sequence operating at the excitation frequency; and generating a desynchronization pulse following the entraining periodic pulse sequence to desynchronize the neuronal rhythmic activity, where the pulse are either visual or acoustic or tactile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH
    Inventor: Peter A. Tass
  • Patent number: 8543219
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for controlled modulation of physiological and pathological neuronal rhythmic activity in the brain by means of sensory stimulation, which is capable of diagnostically ascertaining functional disorders in the brain and of alleviating or eliminating the symptoms of a functional disruption. According to the invention, the device comprises a control unit (4), a stimulator (1) and at least one means for detecting brain activity, said means being connected to the control unit (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Tass
  • Publication number: 20130245713
    Abstract: A device for desynchronizing neuronal brain activity involving a neuron population firing in a synchronized manner at a pathological frequency. The device includes an electrode configured to generate stimuli that stimulate the neuron population; and a control unit configured to control the electrode to generate the stimuli in sequence, wherein the stimuli succeed each other with a predetermined frequency f. The predetermined frequency f is substantially equal to g×n/m, where g is the pathological frequency, and n and m are integers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH
    Inventor: Peter A. Tass
  • Patent number: 8538547
    Abstract: An apparatus (100) is described which comprises at least one measuring unit (31-34) for recording test signals from neurons, a generator unit (10) for generating electrical stimulation signals in accordance with the test signals, and a plurality of stimulation units (11-14) that are connected to the generator unit (10). The stimulation units (11-14) stimulate a plurality of neural networks in a deferred manner by means of the stimulation signals and thus induce a deferred activity in the stimulated neural networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Tass, Christian Hauptmann
  • Patent number: 8463378
    Abstract: A device having a first stimulation unit that generates electrical first stimuli suppressing a pathological synchronous activity of neurons in the brain and/or spinal cord of a patient upon administering the same to the brain and/or spinal cord of the patient, a second stimulation unit that generates optical and/or acoustic and/or tactile and/or vibratory second stimuli, and a controller that controls the first and the second stimulation units. The generation of the first and second stimuli optionally occurs in a first or in a second operating mode, and the controller actuates the first and the second stimulation units such that in the first operating mode the generation of at least 60% of the second stimuli is chronologically coupled to the generation of the first stimuli, and in the second operating mode the generation of at least 60% of the second stimuli is carried out without generating the first stimuli.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Tass
  • Patent number: 8463386
    Abstract: A device for desynchronizing neuronal brain activity involving a neuron population firing in a synchronized manner at a pathological frequency. The device includes an electrode configured to generate stimuli that stimulate the neuron population; and a control unit configured to control the electrode to generate the stimuli in sequence, wherein the stimuli succeed each other with a predetermined frequency f. The predetermined frequency f is substantially equal to g×n/m, where g is the pathological frequency, and n and m are integers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH
    Inventor: Peter A. Tass
  • Patent number: 8423144
    Abstract: A device and method for desynchronizing a patient's neuronal brain activity involving a neuron population firing in a pathologically synchronized manner. The device includes a stimulation unit configured to generate an acoustic stimulation signal to stimulate the neuron population when the acoustic stimulation signal is aurally received by the patient. Furthermore, the acoustic stimulation signal has a first frequency and a second frequency, with the first frequency provided to reset the phase of the neuronal brain activity in a first sub-population of the stimulated neuron population, and the second frequency provided to reset the phase of the neuronal brain activity in a second sub-population of the stimulated neuron population.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignees: Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, ANM Adaptive Neuromodulation GmbH, Universitaet Zu Koeln
    Inventors: Peter Tass, Hans-Joachim Freund, Oleksandr Popovych, Birgit Utako Barnikol, Joel Niederhauser, Jean-Christophe Roulet, Urban Schnell