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US 2026/0283535 A1Published application
Method and Apparatus for Detecting Consciousness
AssigneesWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, The University of Milan, Tiny Blue Dot, Inc.
InventorsGiulio Tononi, Christof Koch, Marcello Massimini, Silvia Casarotto, Michele Angel Colombo
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Abstract
An apparatus to evaluate consciousness processes EEG signals from patient electrodes with a limited spatial coverage. A consciousness index is produced by means of two alternative methods: i) by analyzing time, frequency, and phase relationships in a short window after an electrical or magnetic stimulation of the brain; ii) by analyzing spectral and spatial information, in absence/irrespectively of stimulations.
Claims10
An apparatus for assessing consciousness comprising:
- an EEG sensor providing electrodes at electrode locations to collect electrical signals from firing neurons within a patient's brain;
- a neural stimulator for promoting a localized brain stimulation of neurons within the patient's brain at a stimulation location and time using electrical or magnetic stimulation;
- and
- an electronic computer receiving the electrical signals from the EEG sensor and executing a stored program to:
- (i) extract from the electrical signals a first measurement of a time domain activity in the electrical signals after the time of localized brain stimulation;
- (ii) extract from the electrical signals a second measurement of a frequency content of the electrical signals after the time of localized brain stimulation;
- (iii) extract from the electrical signals a third measurement of a time coherence between the electrical signals and the localized brain stimulation of neurons after the time of localized brain stimulation;
- and
- (iv) combine the first, second, and third measurements to provide an output indication of consciousness.
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