US 6,434,419 B1 · Neurocognitive ability EEG measurement method and system

Abstract

An efficient, objective testing method and system for evaluating mental acuity and changes in mental acuity is described. The method and system are based on measuring an individual's behavioral responses and brain function during a brief test of working memory and passive control condition. The method and system is designed to assess an individual's overall cognitive ability (“general intelligence”), and whether that overall cognitive ability has been significantly affected by a variety of factors such as progressive disease processes, medication, stress, fatigue or training. The method and system can be used to determine whether drugs being evaluated to treat diseases or conditions affecting higher cognitive brain function have a significant positive effect on delaying or improving the symptoms of such a disease or condition, especially during clinical trials for drug approval and subsequent marketing. The method and system may also be employed as part of the successful diagnosis or ongoing treatment of neurological diseases or conditions that directly or indirectly affect human neurocognitive performance. The method and system may also be used to determine transitory changes in overall cognitive ability due to emotional stress or fatigue, and more long lasting changes in overall cognitive ability following training and educational programs.

Claims26

Dependent claims

The method of measuring a subject's working memory, substantially free of bias from cultural and educational experience, to determine the subject's overall cognitive ability (“general intelligence”), including the steps of:

(a) presenting an attention-demanding task to the subject, which engages the subject's working memory processes, and, simultaneously;
(b) measuring the subject's behavioral responses to the task and neuroelectric activity at the subject's scalp using a set of electroencephalograph (EEG) electrodes and amplifier and analog/digital(A/D) converters to provide a set of digital data representing the subject's behavioral responses and neuroelectric activity in response to the task;
(c) in a computer system, comparing the subject's digital data representing behavioral responses and neuroelectric activity in response to the task to a set of digital data representing the behavioral responses and EEG derived neuroelectric activity responses of a normal group to the same task;
and
(d) displaying the subject's overall cognitive ability score or scores based upon the comparison of (c) with the normal group.

2 more elements

The method of measuring the working memory of a subject, substantially free of bias from cultural and educational experience, to identify existing deficits and to determine the changes in the subject's working memory due to an underlying deleterious and/or progressive clinical condition, or due to any consequences of the administration of a medicine or remedial program, including the steps of:

(a) presenting to the subject an attention-demanding task, which engages the subject's working memory processes;
(b) before administration of the medicine-or remedial program measuring the subject's behavioral responses to the task questions and neuroelectric activity at the subject's scalp using a set of electroencephalograph (EEG) electrodes and amplifiers and analog/digital (A/D) converters to provide a set of baseline digital data representing the subject's behavioral responses to the task questions and neuroelectric activity in response to the task;
(c) in a computer system, comparing the subject's behavioral and neuroelectric responses to the task questions to a normal group's behavioral and neuroelectric responses to the task questions to obtain the subject's baseline score;
(d) performing the steps (a)-(c) to obtain the subject's score based upon a second or subsequent set of digital data and comparing the second or subsequent scores with the baseline score to obtain a measure of change of the subject's working memory due to administration of the medicine or the remedial program or changes over time;
(e) displaying the subject's changes in working memory based upon the comparison of the scores of (d).

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Neurocognitive ability EEG measurement method and system

Life of this patent

Neurocognitive ability EEG measurement method and system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26