COGNITIVE FUNCTION INDEX

• US 20090155754A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Embic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Medical Care Corporation
• Inventors: Chan, Timothy, Mangrola, Tushar, Fortier, Dennis Earle, Hara, Junko, Shankle, William Rodman
• Granted Patent: US 8,202,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for creating a cognitive function index. In one aspect, a method includes receiving first information concerning a person, the first information specifying the person'"'"'s responses, and lack thereof, for components of a cognitive test administered to the person; generating a cognitive function score for the person by comparing the first information with second information concerning a group of people to whom the cognitive test has been administered; converting the cognitive function score to a value in an index comprising a range of values, wherein a first portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively impaired zone, a second portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively normal zone, and a third portion of the range corresponds to a zone of uncertainty defined by a confidence interval centered on a mid-point of the index; and providing the indexed value for the person.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving first information concerning a person, the first information specifying the person'"'"'s responses, and lack thereof, for components of a cognitive test administered to the person;

generating a cognitive function score for the person by comparing the first information with second information concerning a group of people to whom the cognitive test has been administered;

converting the cognitive function score to a value in an index comprising a range of values, wherein a first portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively impaired zone, a second portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively normal zone, and a third portion of the range corresponds to a zone of uncertainty defined by a confidence interval centered on a mid-point of the index; and

providing the indexed value for the person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting comprises:

determining an appropriate one of the zones for the person based on the cognitive function score and the confidence interval; and

mapping the cognitive function score into the appropriate zone based on the portion of the range corresponding to the appropriate zone.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving third information concerning the person, the third information comprising one or more older cognitive function scores for the person, the one or more older cognitive function scores being separated from the newer cognitive function score by a time period;

calculating an expected change between the one or more older cognitive function scores and the newer cognitive function score based on an age of the person, the time period, and the second information; and

identifying whether a change between the one or more older cognitive function scores and the newer cognitive function score falls outside the expected change.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating the expected change comprises calculating the expected change based further on gender and education level of the person.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating the expected change comprises using one or more statistical estimation methods.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a cognitive function score cut-point based on data for the group of people to whom the cognitive test has been administered;

calculating the confidence interval centered on the cognitive function score cut-point, wherein the confidence interval is at least a 95% confidence interval;

determining a minimum cognitive function score for persons classified as impaired and a maximum cognitive function score for persons classified as normal; and

calculating the third portion of the range based on the cognitive function score cut-point, the mid-point of the index, the confidence interval, and a difference between the maximum cognitive function score and the minimum cognitive function score.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the converting comprises:

if the cognitive function score for the person falls below the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the first portion of the range based on the minimum cognitive function score and a lower end of the confidence interval;

if the cognitive function score for the person falls above the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the second portion of the range based on the maximum cognitive function score and a higher end of the confidence interval; and

if the cognitive function score for the person falls on the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the third portion of the range based on the confidence interval.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the confidence interval is at least a 99% confidence interval.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cognitive test comprises a test of memory performance comprising multiple item recall trials including at least one immediate free recall trial and at least one delayed free recall trial, and the first information specifies which items were recalled and which items were not recalled by the person in the multiple item recall trials.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mid-point of the index comprises a numerical mid-point of the range, the range of values consists of numbers between zero and one hundred, inclusive, and the mid-point is fifty.

11. A computer-readable medium encoding a computer program product operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving first information concerning a person, the first information specifying the person'"'"'s responses, and lack thereof, for components of a cognitive test administered to the person;

generating a cognitive function score for the person by comparing the first information with second information concerning a group of people to whom the cognitive test has been administered;

converting the cognitive function score to a value in an index comprising a range of values, wherein a first portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively impaired zone, a second portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively normal zone, and a third portion of the range corresponds to a zone of uncertainty defined by a confidence interval centered on a mid-point of the index; and

providing the indexed value for the person.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the converting comprises:

determining an appropriate one of the zones for the person based on the cognitive function score and the confidence interval; and

mapping the cognitive function score into the appropriate zone based on the portion of the range corresponding to the appropriate zone.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, the operations comprising:

receiving third information concerning the person, the third information comprising one or more older cognitive function scores for the person, the one or more older cognitive function scores being separated from the newer cognitive function score by a time period;

calculating an expected change between the one or more older cognitive function scores and the newer cognitive function score based on an age of the person, the time period, and the second information; and

identifying whether a change between the one or more older cognitive function scores and the newer cognitive function score falls outside the expected change.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein calculating the expected change comprises calculating the expected change based further on gender and education level of the person and using one or more statistical estimation methods.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, the operations comprising:

determining a cognitive function score cut-point based on data for the group of people to whom the cognitive test has been administered;

calculating the confidence interval centered on the cognitive function score cut-point, wherein the confidence interval is at least a 95% confidence interval;

determining a minimum cognitive function score for persons classified as impaired and a maximum cognitive function score for persons classified as normal; and

calculating the third portion of the range based on the cognitive function score cut-point, the mid-point of the index, the confidence interval, and a difference between the maximum cognitive function score and the minimum cognitive function score.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the converting comprises:

if the cognitive function score for the person falls below the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the first portion of the range based on the minimum cognitive function score and a lower end of the confidence interval;

if the cognitive function score for the person falls above the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the second portion of the range based on the maximum cognitive function score and a higher end of the confidence interval; and

if the cognitive function score for the person falls on the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the third portion of the range based on the confidence interval.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the confidence interval is at least a 98% confidence interval;

the mid-point of the index comprises a numerical mid-point of the range, the range of values consists of numbers between zero and one hundred, inclusive, and the mid-point is fifty; and

the cognitive test comprises a test of memory performance comprising multiple item recall trials including at least one immediate free recall trial and at least one delayed free recall trial, and the first information specifies which items were recalled and which items were not recalled by the person in the multiple item recall trials.

18. A system comprising:

a user interface device; and

one or more computers operable to interact with the user interface device and to perform operations comprising;

receiving first information concerning a person, the first information specifying the person'"'"'s responses, and lack thereof, for components of a cognitive test administered to the person;

generating a cognitive function score for the person by comparing the first information with second information concerning a group of people to whom the cognitive test has been administered;

converting the cognitive function score to a value in an index comprising a range of values, wherein a first portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively impaired zone, a second portion of the range corresponds to a cognitively normal zone, and a third portion of the range corresponds to a zone of uncertainty defined by a confidence interval centered on a mid-point of the index; and

providing the indexed value for the person.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the converting comprises:

determining an appropriate one of the zones for the person based on the cognitive function score and the confidence interval; and

mapping the cognitive function score into the appropriate zone based on the portion of the range corresponding to the appropriate zone.

20. The system of claim 18, the operations comprising:

receiving third information concerning the person, the third information comprising one or more older cognitive function scores for the person, the one or more older cognitive function scores being separated from the newer cognitive function score by a time period;

calculating an expected change between the one or more older cognitive function scores and the newer cognitive function score based on an age of the person, the time period, and the second information; and

identifying whether a change between the one or more older cognitive function scores and the newer cognitive function score falls outside the expected change.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein calculating the expected change comprises calculating the expected change based further on gender and education level of the person and using one or more statistical estimation methods.

22. The system of claim 18, the operations comprising:

determining a cognitive function score cut-point based on data for the group of people to whom the cognitive test has been administered;

calculating the confidence interval centered on the cognitive function score cut-point, wherein the confidence interval is at least a 95% confidence interval;

determining a minimum cognitive function score for persons classified as impaired and a maximum cognitive function score for persons classified as normal; and

calculating the third portion of the range based on the cognitive function score cut-point, the mid-point of the index, the confidence interval, and a difference between the maximum cognitive function score and the minimum cognitive function score.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the converting comprises:

if the cognitive function score for the person falls below the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the first portion of the range based on the minimum cognitive function score and a lower end of the confidence interval;

if the cognitive function score for the person falls above the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the second portion of the range based on the maximum cognitive function score and a higher end of the confidence interval; and

if the cognitive function score for the person falls on the confidence interval, mapping the cognitive function score into the third portion of the range based on the confidence interval.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the confidence interval is at least a 98% confidence interval;

the mid-point of the index comprises a numerical mid-point of the range, the range of values consists of numbers between zero and one hundred, inclusive, and the mid-point is fifty; and

the cognitive test comprises a test of memory performance comprising multiple item recall trials including at least one immediate free recall trial and at least one delayed free recall trial, and the first information specifies which items were recalled and which items were not recalled by the person in the multiple item recall trials.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more computers comprise a server operable to interact with the user interface device through a data communication network, and the user interface device is operable to interact with the server as a client.