A nerve cuff electrode device comprising a cuff body having a smart memory polymer layer with a rigid configuration at room temperature and a softened configuration at about 37° C. The smart memory polymer layer has a trained curved region with a radius of curvature of about 3000 microns or less. A plurality of thin film electrodes located on the smart memory polymer layer. The thin film electrodes include discrete titanium nitride electrode sites that are located in the trained curved region. An exposed surface of each of the discrete titanium nitride electrode sites has a charge injection capacity of about 0.1 mC/cm.sup.2 or greater. Methods or manufacturing and using the device are also disclosed.

An electrode lead comprises an electrically insulative cuff body and at least three axially aligned electrode contacts circumferentially disposed along the inner surface of the cuff body when in the furled state. The electrode contacts may be circumferentially disposed around a nerve, and an electrical pulse train may be delivered to the electrode contacts thereby stimulating the nerve to treat obstructive sleep apnea. The electrical pulse train may be one that pre-conditions peripherally located nerve fascicles to not be stimulated, while stimulating centrally located nerve fascicles. A feedback mechanism can be used to titrate electrode contacts and electrical pulse train to the patient. A sensor that is affixed to the case of a neurostimulator can be used to measure physiological artifacts of respiration, and a motion detector can be used to sense tapping of the neurostimulator to toggle the neurostimulator between an ON position and an OFF position.

An electrode lead comprises an electrically insulative cuff body and at least three axially aligned electrode contacts circumferentially disposed along the inner surface of the cuff body when in the furled state. The electrode contacts may be circumferentially disposed around a nerve, and an electrical pulse train may be delivered to the electrode contacts thereby stimulating the nerve to treat obstructive sleep apnea. The electrical pulse train may be one that pre-conditions peripherally located nerve fascicles to not be stimulated, while stimulating centrally located nerve fascicles. A feedback mechanism can be used to titrate electrode contacts and electrical pulse train to the patient. A sensor that is affixed to the case of a neurostimulator can be used to measure physiological artifacts of respiration, and a motion detector can be used to sense tapping of the neurostimulator to toggle the neurostimulator between an ON position and an OFF position.

A nerve cover for covering a nerve within a living body tissue to protect the nerve includes a base of a flat plate shape, and a pair of covers protruding upward the base to form a hole for receiving a nerve, with one end attached to the base and the other end spaced apart from the one end, wherein when the base is bent in an arch shape when viewed from a side, a spacing between the pair of covers is expanded. In addition, an apparatus for insertion of an electrode structure includes a nerve cover fixing part which fixes the nerve cover with the base being bent, and an electrode structure fixing part in which the electrode structure is mounted, and which linearly moves the mounted electrode structure in an insertion direction to insert the electrode structure into the nerve surrounded by the nerve cover.

An example of a neurostimulation system may include a programming control circuit and a stimulation control circuit. The programming control circuit may be configured to program a stimulation device for delivering the neurostimulation according to a stimulation program specifying a present stimulation field set including stimulation field(s) each defined by a set of active electrodes selected from a plurality of electrodes. The stimulation control circuit may be configured to determine the stimulation program and may include field programming circuitry that may be configured to set the present stimulation field set to an initial stimulation field set specifying stimulation fields allowing for the delivery of the neurostimulation to produce an intended effect and to identify an optimal stimulation field set that satisfies one or more optimization criteria by removing stimulation field(s) from the initial stimulation field set.

This disclosure provides an apparatus or system for the modulation of neural activity in the cervical sympathetic chain (CSC) or superior cervical ganglion (SCG) or SCG post-ganglionic branch(es) and for the treatment of sleep apnoea, as well as methods for their use.

Stimulation of neural activity in a nerve supplying the spleen, wherein the nerve is associated with a neurovascular bundle, can modulate pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules levels, thereby reducing inflammation and providing ways of treating inflammatory disorders. The invention provides improved ways of treating inflammatory disorders which minimize off-target effects.

Electrical stimulation of neural activity in the neural innervation of the spleen that is associated with neurovascular bundles provides a useful way to treat acute medical conditions, such as trauma, hemorrhaging and shock.

The present disclose relates to slurry electrodes that can deliver direct current (DC) nerve conduction block to neural tissue. Such slurry electrodes can include an ionically conductive membrane having a first side and a second side. Slurry electrodes can also include a mechanism that is configured to encapsulate a slurry against the first side of the ionically conductive membrane. The slurry can include an ionically conductive material and a plurality of electrically conducting high surface area particles. The mechanism and the first side of the ionically conductive membrane make up a housing for the slurry. Slurry electrodes can also include a connector configured to establish an electrical connection between the slurry and the DC generator.

An extravascular of intravascular neural interface is disclosed containing electrodes for neurostimulation of the vessel. The devices are housed in flexible substrates formed from a multilumen tubing housing conductors for electrodes positioned in a distal serpentine shaped end of the device. The distal serpentine shaped end includes rows or strips of electrodes or coil electrodes.