Powering OMNI: A Distributed and Modular Closed-Loop Neuromodulation Device

George Alexandrov

EECS Department
University of California, Berkeley
Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2018-14
May 1, 2018

http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2018/EECS-2018-14.pdf

Neurological disorders like Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) broadly affect a billion people worldwide. Despite the prevalence and debilitating effects of these disorders, there is no cure and treatment relies on chemical interventions that are oftentimes ineffective. In the last decade, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as an effective solution for the symptomatic treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Essential Tremor, and Dystonia, and recent research has demonstrated the potential of DBS and closed-loop neuromodulation in also treating some neuropsychiatric disorders. Unlike movement disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders manifest in the brain at the systems level, necessitating a distributed, network approach to treatment that acts in closed-loop and responds in real time. To achieve this, a more sophisticated system than the current state-of-the-art is required in order to address disorders that manifest in complex neural pathways and affect physically distant regions of the brain.

Here we present the Octopus Mimetic Neural Implant (OMNI), a distributed and modular neuromodulation device capable of treating a variety neurological disorders. OMNI supports simultaneous recording and stimulation on up to 256 channels from up to 4 physically distinct neuromodulation modules placed cortically or sub-cortically around the brain. OMNI's unique distributed architecture and powerful embedded processing offers the capability to address disorders presented at the network level and enables a new class of closed-loop neuromodulation therapies.

The focus of this work is the power management and distribution network required for proper and safe operation of OMNI. Unlike existing neuromodulation systems, OMNI must provide power to a distributed and variable number of sub-modules, each with potentially different power dissipation. This huge load variation, combined with medical implant regulations which require implanted wires to carry no DC current, presents a unique challenge in powering OMNI. To address this problem, a power distribution network is presented which is comprised of a pair of power drivers that adaptively generate differential, constant voltage, variable power 20MHz AC voltage waveforms.

Advisor: Jan M. Rabaey


BibTeX citation:

@mastersthesis{Alexandrov:EECS-2018-14,
    Author = {Alexandrov, George},
    Title = {Powering OMNI: A Distributed and Modular Closed-Loop Neuromodulation Device},
    School = {EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley},
    Year = {2018},
    Month = {May},
    URL = {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2018/EECS-2018-14.html},
    Number = {UCB/EECS-2018-14},
    Abstract = {Neurological disorders like Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) broadly affect a billion people worldwide. Despite the prevalence and debilitating effects of these disorders, there is no cure and treatment relies on chemical interventions that are oftentimes ineffective. In the last decade, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as an effective solution for the symptomatic treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Essential Tremor, and Dystonia, and recent research has demonstrated the potential of DBS and closed-loop neuromodulation in also treating some neuropsychiatric disorders. Unlike movement disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders manifest in the brain at the systems level, necessitating a distributed, network approach to treatment that acts in closed-loop and responds in real time. To achieve this, a more sophisticated system than the current state-of-the-art is required in order to address disorders that manifest in complex neural pathways and affect physically distant regions of the brain.

Here we present the Octopus Mimetic Neural Implant (OMNI), a distributed and modular neuromodulation device capable of treating a variety neurological disorders. OMNI supports simultaneous recording and stimulation on up to 256 channels from up to 4 physically distinct neuromodulation modules placed cortically or sub-cortically around the brain. OMNI's unique distributed architecture and powerful embedded processing offers the capability to address disorders presented at the network level and enables a new class of closed-loop neuromodulation therapies. 

The focus of this work is the power management and distribution network required for proper and safe operation of OMNI. Unlike existing neuromodulation systems, OMNI must provide power to a distributed and variable number of sub-modules, each with potentially different power dissipation. This huge load variation, combined with medical implant regulations which require implanted wires to carry no DC current, presents a unique challenge in powering OMNI. To address this problem, a power distribution network is presented which is comprised of a pair of power drivers that adaptively generate differential, constant voltage, variable power 20MHz AC voltage waveforms.}
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Thesis
%A Alexandrov, George
%T Powering OMNI: A Distributed and Modular Closed-Loop Neuromodulation Device
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 2018
%8 May 1
%@ UCB/EECS-2018-14
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2018/EECS-2018-14.html
%F Alexandrov:EECS-2018-14