SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR SEIZURE DETECTION

• US 20090281446A2
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New York University
• Original Assignee: New York University
• Inventors: ILLES, Gabor, MEDVECZKY, Geza, DEVINSKY, Orrin, KUZNIECKY, Ruben, LUDVIG, Nandor
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head

Abstract

A device comprises a head mounting arrangement sized and shaped to be worn on a user'"'"'s head and a plurality of electrodes disposed on the arrangement so that, when the arrangement is worn on the user'"'"'s head, the electrodes contact target portions of a scalp to detect electrical activity of a brain of the user in combination with an image capture device disposed on the arrangement so that, when the arrangement is worn on the user'"'"'s head, a field of view of the image capture device includes a portion of an anatomy of the user and a processing unit generating EEG data from the electrical activity, wherein, when the EEG data is indicative of an epileptic event, the processing unit activates the image capture device to capture video data of the user and may store the EEG and/or the video data with transmission of warning signals to one or more remote displaying and/or computing arrangements.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a head mounting arrangement sized and shaped to be worn on a user'"'"'s head;

a plurality of electrodes disposed on the arrangement so that, when the arrangement is worn on the user'"'"'s head, the electrodes contact target portions of a scalp to detect electrical activity of a brain of the user;

an image capture device disposed on the arrangement so that, when the arrangement is worn on the user'"'"'s head, a field of view of the image capture device includes a portion of an anatomy of the user; and

a processing unit generating EEG data from the electrical activity,

wherein, when the EEG data is indicative of an epileptic event, the processing unit activates the image capture device to capture video data of the user.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is one of a headband and a cap.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electrodes include at least four electrodes disposed in a predetermined configuration on the arrangement.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the electrodes is contained in an electrode unit, the electrode unit further comprising an operational amplifier coupled directly to the corresponding electrode.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the electrode unit further comprises:

an adhesive delivery arrangement securing the electrode unit to the scalp; and

a conductive paste delivery arrangement applying a conductive paste to electrically couple the electrode to the scalp.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the image capture device is one of a video camera and a digital camera.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the field of view of the image capture device includes one of trunk, hands and feet of the user.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory,

wherein the processing unit writes at least a portion of one of the EEG data and the video data to the memory.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the memory is a removable memory device.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the memory includes reference data corresponding to EEG data obtained from one of the subject and a group of subjects.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the processing unit compares the EEG data to the reference data to determine if the user is experiencing the epileptic event.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the epileptic event is a seizure.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the epileptic event is brain activity preceding a seizure.

14. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an indicator activated upon detection of the epileptic event.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the indicator is one of a light-emitting diode and a speaker.

16. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless transceiver transmitting a warning signal upon detection of the epileptic event to one of a remote display device and a remote computing device.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the warning signal includes at least one of (i) identification data identifying the user, (ii) medical history data corresponding to a medical history of the user, (iii) location data indicative of a location of the user, (iv) the EEG data and (v) the video data.

18. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rechargeable battery supplying power to the processing unit, the electrodes, the image capture device and the transceiver.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the electrode unit further comprises:

a rechargeable battery supplying power to the processing unit, the electrodes and the wireless transmitter.

21. The system according to claim 17, wherein the processing unit transmits a warning signal upon detection of the epileptic event.

19. A system, comprising:

an electrode unit attached to a scalp of a subject, the electrode unit comprising;

a plurality of electrodes generating electrical signals corresponding to electrical activity of a brain of the subject;

a processing unit generating EEG data from the electrical signals; and

a wireless transmitter,

an image capture unit worn on a head of the subject, the image capture unit comprising;

an image capture device; and

a wireless receiver,

wherein, when the EEG data is indicative of an epileptic event, the processing unit transmits an activation signal to the image capture unit via the wireless transmitter to activate the image capture device to capture video data of the subject.

22. A system, comprising:

a wireless computing device; and

a head wearable arrangement comprising;

a plurality of electrodes disposed on the arrangement so that, when the arrangement is worn on a head in a desired orientation, the electrodes contact target portions of a scalp of the subject to generate electrical signals corresponding to electrical activity of a brain of the subject;

an image capture device disposed on the arrangement, the image capture device capture video data of the subject;

a wireless transceiver; and

a processing unit generating EEG data from the electrical signals,

wherein, when the EEG data is indicative of an epileptic event, the processing unit downloads the EEG data and the video data to the wireless computing device via the wireless transceiver.