Patent ID: 8452406

Claim:
A neurostimulation system comprising: a neural stimulation lead having a proximal portion and a distal portion and including a plurality of electrodes along the distal portion, the plurality of electrodes configured for positioning proximate a portion of the autonomic nervous system; a neural stimulation circuit, coupled to the plurality of electrodes, to deliver neural stimulation pulses to the plurality of electrodes; and a processor and controller configured to: control the neural stimulation circuit to deliver first neural stimulation pulses to each of a plurality of electrode configurations, each electrode configuration comprising one or more of the plurality of electrodes, the first neural stimulation pulses being delivered at more than one energy level to each of the plurality of electrode configurations, receive information related to motor fiber activity that is induced in response to delivery of the first neural stimulation pulses to each of the plurality of electrode configurations, identify the electrode configurations that induce the motor fiber activity, prioritize the plurality of electrode configurations based on a first capture threshold of the motor fiber activity, control the neural stimulation circuit to deliver second neural stimulation pulses to induce additional physiological activity to one or more electrode configurations with a lowest capture threshold for motor fiber activity, the second neural stimulation pulses having an amplitude greater than the first neural stimulation pulses, receive information related to one or more physiological responses induced in response to delivery of the second neural stimulation pulses to each of the plurality of electrode configurations, the one or more physiological responses including intended physiological activity and intolerable physiological activity, eliminate the electrode configurations that induce intolerable physiological activity, and prioritize the one or more electrode configurations that induce intended physiological activity based on a second capture threshold for the intended physiological activity.