BRAIN FUNCTION DECODING PROCESS AND SYSTEM

• US 20100069777A1
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Donald H. Marks
• Original Assignee: Donald H. Marks
• Inventors: Marks, Donald H.
• Application Number:
  US12/626,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20100069777A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state

Abstract

A method of interpreting cognitive response to a stimulus is disclosed. The method includes collecting baseline neural activity data from a subject absent a stimulus. Neural activity data is collected while the subject is being stimulated through exposure to a stimulus. A unique three-dimensional cognitive engram is then plotted representative of cerebral regions of stimulated neural activity caused by the stimulus. A novel graphical representation is plotted in three dimensions to indicate the brain region response unique to that stimulus.

Claims

1. A method of interpreting cognitive response comprising:

collecting baseline neural activity data that maps a neural activation absent a stimulus onto neuronal structure of a subject brain;

exposing said subject to said stimulus;

collecting stimulated neural activity data from said subject while said subject is exposed to said stimulus; and

plotting a unique three-dimensional cognitive engram representative of the stimulated neural activity caused by said stimulus.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

compiling said cognitive engram in a database containing a plurality of engrams.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said plurality of engrams is derived from a plurality of stimuli that is different than said stimulus.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said stimulus is sensory.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said stimulus is viewing an image.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said stimulus is a verbal question of recall.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said stimulus is chemical.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising correlating said cognitive engram with a regimen of administration of said chemical.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said subject is a human.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said baseline data and said stimulated data are collected as a plurality of tomographic scans compiled as two-dimensional slices.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing an operation on said stimulated data prior to plotting said cognitive engram, said operation selected from the group consisting of:

correcting for subject movement artifact, reprocessing sequential images, blood oxygen level dependency consideration and statistical deformation modeling.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising harvesting subject movement artifact overlap data to increase the quantity of said stimulated data prior to plotting said cognitive engram.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said baseline data and said stimulated data are derived from arterial spin labeling and dynamic susceptibility weighted contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said baseline and said stimulated data are derived from magnetization transfer and diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging with whole brain tissue histogram analysis.

15. A graphical representation of cognitive activity comprising a three-dimensional plot matching of brain imaging scan data with a stimulus, said plot prepared absent input of stimulus encoding rules within a subject brain.

16. The graphical representation of claim 15 wherein said plot is unique to said stimulus and reproducible upon reintroducing said stimulus.

17. A method of questioning a subject comprising:

generating a graphical representation according to claim 15 for a known truth and a second graphical representation according to claim 15 for a known falsehood; and

generating a graphical representation according to claim 15 in response to a stimulus intended to elicit a true or false cognitive response in said subject.

18. A method of objectively measuring subject status comprising:

generating a graphical representation according to claim 15 from said subject and

comparing said graphical representation to a control.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein a subject'"'"'s state is selected from the group consisting of:

physiology, psychological disease state, response to a chemical stimulus, and a level of pain.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the subject'"'"'s state is response to a chemical stimulus, wherein said chemical stimulus is induced by administration of a drug selected from the group consisting of:

interferon, quinolones, neuroleptics, serotonin-active drugs, and alcohol.