Patent ID: 7945330

Claim:
A method for treating a patient, comprising: addressing at least one of patient pain and depression by applying an electrical stimulus having a plurality of stimulus parameters to a selected configuration of therapy electrodes that have been installed at a target therapy site of the central nervous system of the patient, wherein applying the electrical stimulus includes applying the electrical stimulus at a sub-threshold current intensity level relative to a threshold level for neurons at the target therapy site; identifying a change in a sensed parameter via MR spectroscopy; selecting an alternate configuration of therapy electrodes and/or an alternate electrical stimulus based at least in part on the change in the sensed parameter identified via MR spectroscopy, wherein the alternate electrical stimulus includes decreasing the sub-threshold current intensity to a lower level; applying a further electrical stimulus to the patient in accordance with the alternate configuration of therapy electrodes and/or an alternate electrical stimulus, and determining whether the application of the alternate electrical stimulus further decreased the membrane activation threshold for the population of neurons.