A nerve can be stimulated in a number of different ways, including electrical, mechanical, thermal, chemical, and now optical. A nerve is a filament of neural tissue composed of cells each having a cell body and one or more axons and dendrites. The axons extend peripherally as either myelinated or unmyelinated fibers. A chain of Schwann cells surrounds each myelinated nerve fiber with a multilayered myelin sheath. Groups of unmyelinated fibers are associated with single Schwann cells. Both types of nerve fibers are bound by endoneurium to form bundles, or fascicles. A perineurial membrane surrounds each fascicle. Groups of fascicles are held together by internal and external epineurium to form the peripheral nerves. The cell body of a motor neuron lies in the anterior horn of the spinal cord, while the cell body of a sensory neuron is located in the dorsal root ganglion, near the cord. (Christine Cheng; See Nerve Compression Syndromes of the Upper Limb, by Martin Dunitz, published by Taylor & Francis Group, 2002.)
Functional magnetic-resonance-imaging (fMRI) systems use extremely strong magnetic fields in generating images of an animal subject (e.g., a human) to discern functions and abnormalities of various portions of the body, and in particular, of the brain (e.g., during various mental activities or thought patterns). The high static magnetic fields (B0 fields) created by an MRI machine create a danger of projectile accidents from any object having magnetic properties that may be near the MRI machine. Using metal probes to deliver electrical stimulation to nerves of a subject poses one such danger. It would be desirable to stimulate a nerve without using metal probes.
Further, it is desirable to cause a controlled stimulation of individual nerves. U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,413 issued to Mahadevan-Jansen et al. on Jul. 26, 2005, and titled “Methods and Devices for Optical Stimulation of Neural Tissues,” is incorporated herein by reference. Mahadevan-Jansen et al. note that traditional methods of stimulation include electrical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical. A neuron will propagate an electrical impulse (a nerve action potential) in response to a stimulus. The most common form of applying such stimulation is to form a transient current or voltage pulse applied through electrodes. Electrical, mechanical, and chemical stimulations have many limitations. Stimulation by such methods typically results in non-specific stimulation of neurons and/or damage to neurons. Difficulty exists in recording electrical activity from the neuron due to an electrical artifact created by the stimulus. To stimulate only one or a few neurons, fragile microelectrodes need to be fashioned and carefully inserted into the tissue to be stimulated. Such techniques do not easily lend themselves to implantable electrodes for long-term use in stimulation of neural tissue. Mahadevan-Jansen et al. describe the use of low-power light from a free-electron laser (FEL) for optically stimulating selected individual nerve cells in vivo, while at the same time not stimulating neighboring cells with the laser light. Unfortunately, FELs are expensive, large, awkward and unwieldy.
Further, some conventional optical systems include some magnetic materials, making them unsuitable for use near MRI systems.
In other conventional neural-stimulation systems, 110-volt AC (wall power) is used to control and/or drive the laser components, with electrical, cooling-fluid, and/or optical tethers between a delivery head and other portions of the equipment, making such systems clumsy and/or perhaps somewhat dangerous to use if relatively high voltages are present in the hand-held portion. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,604 issued to Toepel on Aug. 20, 1996 entitled “Compact hand held medical device laser” describes a palm-sized laser device having a hand-held housing containing a solid state crystal lase material rod, a flashlamp (for pulsed pump light) within a reflective light-coupling cavity and a fluid-cooling chamber adapted to receive and exhaust coolant fluid.
In view of shortcomings in such conventional devices, there is a need for devices and methods that can provide inexpensive, compact, optionally non-magnetic, optionally having non-wall-powered power supplies, and/or easy-to-use interfaces and form factors for optical stimulation of nerves.