A system and method for the non-invasive assessment of cutaneous autonomic nerve function through the application of external vibrational stimulus is disclosed. System embodiments comprising an electronic vibration source and photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor enable measurement of vasomotor responses to vibrational stimuli. This response, facilitated by Pacinian channel-mediated stimulation of small fiber autonomic nerves, is quantified by PPG waveform analysis of transient skin vasoconstriction. Utilizing this normally elicited vasoconstriction reflex as the reference standard, small fiber autonomic nerve deficits revealed by absent or diminished vasomotor responses can be detected. Measurement of these deficits will enable rapid, non-invasive assessment of small fiber nerve degeneration in a variety of medical conditions including diabetes, hypothyroidism and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

A physiological information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory storing computer-readable instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the physiological information processing apparatus obtains physiological information data indicative of physiological information of a subject, obtains a first parameter associated with a vital sign of the subject based on the physiological information data, displays a first trend graph showing temporal change in the first parameter in a first display area of a display screen of a display, obtains a second parameter associated with an autonomic nerve function of the subject based on the physiological information data, and displays a second trend graph showing temporal change in the second parameter in a second display area of the display screen. The first and second display areas are displayed next to each other such that time axes of the first and second display areas are synchronized with each other.

A physiological information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory storing computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the apparatus obtains physiological information data indicative of physiological information of a subject, obtains RR interval data including a plurality of RR intervals based on the physiological information data, identifies an RR interval indicative of arrhythmia, and displays the RR interval data as plotted points on a two-dimensional coordinate system having one axis representing an n-th RR interval and another axis representing an (n+1)-th RR interval. The RR interval data is displayed on the two-dimensional coordinate system such that a visual mode of a plurality of first plotted points associated with the RR interval indicative of arrhythmia and a visual mode of plotted points of the RR interval data other than the plurality of first plotted points are different from each other.

A method and an apparatus for analyzing heart rate Variability (HRV), and use thereof are provided. A low-cost, portable and wearable signal acquisition device is utilized to acquire electrocardiography (ECG) signals of epilepsy patients for 24 hours before treatment, and a time domain index, a frequency domain index and a nonlinear index of the ECG during a long term and during a short term are calculated with a programmed HRV analysis method, and the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) treatment for patients with medically intractable epilepsy is accurately and efficiently predicted based on characteristic parameters for characterizing an effect level of the vagus nerve regulating the heart rate, i.e., vagus nerve activity, thereby avoiding unnecessary costs and avoiding the delay of the optimal treatment timing. In addition, the characteristic parameters obtained by the HRV analysis on the ECG may be utilized to clearly select VNS treatment indication patients.

A method and device for modulating the autonomic nervous system adjacent a pericardial space to treat cardiac arrhythmia includes a treatment source arranged to supply a treatment medium, a catheter having an end sized for insertion into the pericardial space, a medium delivery assembly having a distal end arranged to be positioned by the catheter into the pericardium, with the distal end of the delivery assembly comprising a delivery tip arranged to extend away from the distal end of the catheter into the pericardial space. A connector operatively couples the delivery tip of the medium delivery assembly to the treatment source, and the delivery tip of the medium delivery assembly including a plurality of delivery points for delivering the treatment medium at a plurality of treatment areas within the pericardial space. The device performs modulation or ablation of the autonomic nervous system at selected treatment areas within the pericardium.

A modeling method for screening surgical patients, used in analysis modeling for heart rate variability (HRV). Low-cost, portable and wearable signal acquisition equipment is utilized to acquire an electrocardiography (ECG) signal of an epileptic 24 hours before surgery; a multiscale entropy (MSE) of the ECG is calculated by means of a programmed HRV analysis method, wherein characteristic parameters representing heart rate complexity are extracted on the basis of an MSE curve, and a medical refractory epileptic suitable for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) surgery is accurately and efficiently screened, thus avoiding unnecessary expenditures and avoiding delaying an optimal opportunity for treatment. Meanwhile, the curative effects of the VNS treatment may be wholly improved by means of clearly selecting VNS surgical indication patients according to the characteristic parameters of the MSE complexity of the ECG.

A device and method is provided for stimulation of neurons. The device includes a stimulation unit that can be implanted into a body of a patient and has stimulation elements that apply a stimulation signal to tissue of the patient to stimulate neurons in the brain and/or the spinal cord of the patient. Moreover, a measuring unit receive a measurement signal that reflects a neuronal activity of the stimulated neurons. Further, a control unit generate a modulation signal from the measurement signal, and modulates an amplitude of a pulse train with the modulation signal. Individual pulses of the pulse train include a first and second pulse portions that introduce and remove charge from the tissue. Moreover, the control unit varies a pause between the pulse portions until the synchronization of the stimulated neurons is minimized or falls below a predetermined threshold.

An intravascular catheter for nerve activity ablation and/or sensing includes one or more needles advanced through supported guide tubes (needle guiding elements) which expand to contact the interior surface of the wall of the renal artery or other vessel of a human body allowing the needles to be advanced though the vessel wall into the extra-luminal tissue including the media, adventitia and periadvential space. The catheter also includes structures which provide radial and lateral support to the guide tubes so that the guide tubes open uniformly and maintain their position against the interior surface of the vessel wall as the sharpened needles are advanced to penetrate into the vessel wall. Electrodes near the distal ends of the needles allow sensing of nerve activity before and after attempted renal denervation. In a combination embodiment ablative energy or fluid is delivered from the needles in or near the adventitia to ablate nerves outside of the media while sparing nerves within the media.

There is provided a method and apparatus for determining a baseline for one or more physiological characteristics of a subject. One or more physiological characteristics of a subject and contextual information associated with the subject is acquired. A time period in which the subject is in a baseline state is detected based on the acquired one or more physiological characteristics of the subject and the acquired contextual information associated with the subject. The baseline for the one or more physiological characteristics of the subject is determined from a value of at least one of the acquired one or more physiological characteristics in the detected time period.

Described are methods, devices, and systems for a novel, inexpensive, easy to use therapy for a number of disorders. Described are methods and devices to treat disorders that involves no medication. Methods and devices described herein use alternating magnetic fields to gently tune the brain and affect mood, focus, and cognition of subjects.