The present disclosure provides an apparatus for stimulating neural activity in a pudendal nerve of a subject, the apparatus comprising of: at least one primary electrode configured to apply a first electrical signal to said nerve; and a controller coupled to said primary electrode (s) and controlling the first electrical signal to be applied thereby, wherein said controller is configured to cause said at least one primary electrode to apply said first electrical signal that stimulates neural activity in the pudendal nerve to improve bladder function, and wherein the first electrical signal is applied in a burst pattern.

The present invention provides improved methods for positioning of an implantable lead in a patient with an integrated EMG and stimulation clinician programmer. The integrated clinician programmer is coupled to the implantable lead, wherein the implantable lead comprises at least four electrodes, and to at least one EMG sensing electrode minimally invasively positioned on a skin surface or within the patient. The method comprises delivering a test stimulation at a stimulation amplitude level from the integrated clinician programmer to a nerve tissue of the patient with a principal electrode of the implantable lead. Test stimulations are delivered at a same stimulation amplitude level for a same period of time sequentially to each of the four electrodes of the implantable lead. A stimulation-induced EMG motor response is recorded with the integrated clinician programmer for each test stimulation on each electrode of the implantable lead via the at least one pair of EMG sensing electrodes so as to facilitate initial positioning of the implantable lead at a target stimulation region.

A system for restoring muscle function to the lumbar spine to treat low back pain is provided. The system may include one or more electrode leads coupled to an implantable pulse generator (IPG) and a tunneler system for subcutaneously implanting a proximal portion of the lead(s). The system may also include a handheld activator configured to transfer a stimulation command to the IPG, and an external programmer configured to transfer programming data to the IPG. The stimulation command directs the programmable controller to stimulate the tissue in accordance with the programming data. The system may include a software-based programming system run on a computer such that the treating physician may program and adjust stimulation parameters.

Modulation of neural activity in the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) or cervical sympathetic trunk (CST) is effective in treating diseases and conditions mediated by thyroid and parathyroid hormones, in particular diseases associated with calcitonin secretion (e.g. osteoporosis) or diseases associated with thyroxine secretion (e.g. hypothyroid syndrome).

Methods and circuitry for calibrating stimulation circuitry in an implantable stimulator device (ISD) is disclosed. The ISD can sense neural response to the stimulation, and use an algorithm to assess those responses and determine a therapeutic window for a particular stimulation parameter, such as amplitude. Stimulation circuitry in the ISD is programmed with information indicative of the determined therapeutic window, such as by programming a minimum and/or maximum current amplitude. As well as restricting operation of the stimulation circuitry to within the therapeutic amplitude window, such programming calibrates the stimulation circuitry and allows an expanded range of, or all of, amplitude values supported by the stimulation circuitry to be used, which allows the amplitude to be incremented in smaller current increments.

A system for restoring muscle function to the lumbar spine to treat low back pain is provided. The system may include electrodes coupled to an implantable pulse generator (IPG), a handheld activator configured to transfer a stimulation command to the IPG, and an external programmer configured to transfer programming data to the IPG. The stimulation command directs the programmable controller to stimulate the tissue in accordance with the programming data. The system may include a software-based programming system run on a computer such that the treating physician may program and adjust stimulation parameters.

The invention provides an EPG system and lead configuration which boasts both a novel optical folding assembly and compact package size. The percutaneous leads provided offer additional advantages over the prior art including integral formation of optical and electrical components in a compact size.

Conventional devices deliver a degree of electrical charge into biological tissues; —to satisfy regulatory and safety concerns, measures are taken to maintain a zero-charge residual at the stimulation site.

Disclosed herein is a method of controlling electrical energy provided by a stimulation device to one or stimulation electrodes comprised in the device, the device including: a first stimulation electrode; a pulse energy controller for transferring electrical energy as one or more electrical stimulation pulses to the first stimulation electrode; the pulse energy controller further including two or more stimulation energy supplies for each supplying electrical energy substantially concurrently to the first stimulation electrode as a first pulse; and each supplying electrical energy separately to the first stimulation electrode as a second pulse.

A simpler, more accurate and less-expensive control of stimulation may be provided by considering each energy supply as an energy building block, which may be selected as required.

Systems and methods which provide for and enable sensing responsive signals with respect to the application of paresthesia-free stimulation are described. Sensing signal initiators may be utilized comprising one or more non-therapeutic and/or non-tonic pulses in the form of pinging-pulses configured for invoking responsive signals suitable for measurement and/or analysis in association with the application of neural stimuli. A sensing signal initiator technique may provide an interleaved implementation to introduce one or more pinging-pulses between burst groups of a burst stimulation regimen. Additionally or alternatively, a sensing signal initiator technique may provide a postfixed implementation to introduce one or more pinging-pulses by modifying a therapeutic stimulation burst so that the last phase of the passive discharge is replaced with pinging-pulse providing an active discharge.

A method of treating a mental disorder of a patient includes generating, by an implantable stimulator configured to be implanted beneath a skin surface of the patient, stimulation sessions at a duty cycle that is less than 0.05 and applying, by the implantable stimulator in accordance with the duty cycle, the stimulation sessions to a tissue location associated with the mental disorder. The duty cycle is a ratio of T3 to T4. Each stimulation session included in the stimulation sessions has a duration of T3 minutes and occurs at a rate of once every T4 minutes. The implantable stimulator is powered by a primary battery located within the implantable stimulator and having an internal impedance greater than 5 ohms.