US 12,434,050 B2
Intraoral neuromodulation
Saurabh Biswas, College Station, TX (US); and Hangue Park, College Station, TX (US)
Assigned to The Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/415,303
Filed by The Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX (US)
PCT Filed Dec. 20, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/067923
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 17, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/132486, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/782,542, filed on Dec. 20, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0054828 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. A61N 1/36 (2006.01); A61N 1/05 (2006.01); A61N 1/378 (2006.01)
CPC A61N 1/36 (2013.01) [A61N 1/0548 (2013.01); A61N 1/3785 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for intraoral sensorimotor neurostimulation, the system comprising:
a retainer for placement in a patient's oral cavity;
an intraoral neural stimulator comprising electrodes positioned on the retainer so as to intraorally apply, when the retainer is placed in the patient's oral cavity, electrical stimulation signals to the patient's tongue at one or more locations of at least one of a glossopharyngeal nerve or a hypoglossal nerve, and to a soft palatal region at one or more locations of at least one of a lesser palatine nerve or a greater palatine nerve;
a pressure sensor positioned on the retainer to measure, when the retainer is placed in the patient's oral cavity, a tongue tip pressure associated with an onset of a pharyngeal phase of swallowing; and
electronic circuitry configured to cause, responsive to detection of the onset of the pharyngeal phase based on the measured tongue tip pressure, application of the electrical stimulation signals to the tongue and the soft palatal region by the intraoral neural stimulator to thereby modulate the pharyngeal phase of swallowing.