FIELD-DEPLOYABLE CONCUSSION DETECTOR

• US 20100222694A1
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainscope SPV LLC
• Original Assignee: Brainscope Company Inc.
• Inventors: CAUSEVIC, Elvir
• Granted Patent: US 8,948,860 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/374 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals, e.g. detecting delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4076 Diagnosing or monitoring particular conditions of the nervous system A61B5/4821, A61B5/4824 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing an on-site diagnosis of a subject to determine the presence and/or severity of a concussion is provided. The method includes placing an electrode set coupled to a handheld base unit on the subject'"'"'s head, acquiring brain electrical signals from the subject through the electrode set, processing the acquired brain electrical signals using a signal processing algorithm stored in a memory of the base unit, determining the presence and/or severity of a concussion from the processed signals, indicating the presence and/or severity of a concussion on the handheld base unit, and determining a course of treatment for the subject based on the indication.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A method for determining if a subject has suffered traumatic brain injury using a portable handheld device, comprising:

acquiring brain electrical signals from the subject using an electrode set operably coupled to the handheld device;

processing the acquired signals using, at least in part, a non-linear signal processing algorithm;

determining if the subject has traumatic brain injury using the processed signals;

determining the severity of traumatic brain injury using the processed signals; and

indicating the determination and the severity on the portable handheld device, wherein processing the acquired signals includes extracting a plurality of features of the acquired signals.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein extracting a plurality of features comprises extracting a plurality of components from the acquired signals and, further extracting the distribution of absolute power, relative power, symmetry, or coherence among the plurality of components.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the plurality of components are a plurality of frequency components.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the traumatic brain injury is a concussion.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of non-linear classification of the extracted features.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising the steps of calculating Z-scores based on acquired data, and performing non-linear classification on said Z-scores.

35. A portable device for detecting the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury in a subject, comprising:

a headset comprising a plurality of brain-electrical-signal-detecting electrodes; and

a portable base unit operably coupled to the headset, the base unit comprising;

a processor;

a memory, the memory containing instructions for causing the processor to perform, at least in part, a non-linear signal processing algorithm on the detected signals; and

an indicator for providing an indication of the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury.

36. The portable device according to claim 35, wherein the detected signals comprise at least one of spontaneous or evoked signals.

37. The portable device according to claim 35, wherein the indication of presence and severity of traumatic brain injury includes the step of evaluating processed signals for each of two or more diagnostic categories.

38. The portable device according to claim 35, wherein the non-linear signal processing algorithm denoises the detected signals;

extracts features from the denoised signals;

builds discriminant functions for classifying the extracted features; and

detects the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury based on the classified features.

39. The portable device according to claim 38, wherein the non-linear signal processing algorithm comprises at least one of a wavelet, a wavelet packet processing algorithm, a diffusion geometry processing algorithm, or a fractal processing algorithm.

40. The portable device according to claim 35, wherein the indicator comprises a visual display.

41. The portable device according to claim 40, wherein the visual display comprises:

a first indicator, which is displayed if traumatic brain injury is determined to be present and serious;

a second indication, which is displayed if traumatic brain injury is determined to be likely present, and more tests are required to be performed on the subject; and

a third indication, which is displayed if there is no traumatic brain injury detected.

42. A method for providing an on-site diagnosis of a subject to determine the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury, comprising:

placing an electrode set coupled to a handheld base unit on the subject'"'"'s head;

acquiring brain electrical signals from the subject through the electrode set;

processing, by a processor in the base unit, the acquired brain electrical signals using, at least in part, a non-linear signal processing algorithm stored in a memory of the base unit;

determining the presence and severity of a traumatic brain injury from the processed signals;

indicating the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury on the handheld base unit; and

determining a course of treatment for the subject based on the indication.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising:

storing the acquired brain electrical signals; and

wirelessly transmitting the stored signals to a remote database.

44. The portable device according to claim 42, wherein the indication of presence and severity of traumatic brain injury includes the step of evaluating processed signals for each of two or more diagnostic categories.

45. The method according to claim 42, wherein determining the presence and severity of a traumatic brain injury further comprises performing additional tests on the subject.

46. The method according to claim 42, wherein acquiring brain signals comprises acquiring at least one of spontaneous or evoked signals.

47. The method according to claim 42, wherein processing the acquired signals comprises:

denoising the acquired signals;

extracting desired features from the denoised signals;

building discriminant functions for classifying the extracted features;

classifying the extracted features; and

indicating the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury based on the classified features.

48. The method according to claim 42, wherein processing the acquired signals using the non-linear signal processing algorithm comprises performing at least one of a wavelet, a wavelet packet processing algorithm, a diffusion geometry processing algorithm, or a fractal processing algorithm on the acquired signals.

49. The method according to claim 42, wherein indicating the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury on the handheld base unit comprises:

displaying an indication of traumatic brain injury;

displaying the severity of traumatic brain injury; and

displaying a location of the traumatic brain injury.

50. The method according to claim 42, further comprising determining the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury over time, indicating the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury on the handheld base unit over time, and then determining a course of treatment for the subject based on a change in the indication over time.

51. A method for determining if a subject has suffered traumatic brain injury using a portable handheld device, comprising:

acquiring brain electrical signals from the subject using an electrode set operably coupled to the handheld device;

processing the acquired signals using, at least in part, a non-linear signal processing algorithm;

determining if the subject has traumatic brain injury using the processed signals;

determining the severity of the traumatic brain injury using the processed signals; and

indicating the determination and the severity on the portable handheld device.

52. A portable handheld device for detecting the presence and severity of traumatic brain injury in a subject, comprising:

a headset comprising a plurality of neurological signal-detecting electrodes and means for evoking neurological potentials; and

a handheld base unit operably coupled to the headset, the base unit comprising;

a processor;

a memory, the memory containing instructions for causing the processor to perform, at least in part, a non-linear signal processing algorithm on the detected signals; and

a display, the display providing a visual display of the presence and severity of a traumatic brain injury comprising;

a first indication, which is displayed if traumatic brain injury is determined to be present and serious;

an second indication, which is displayed if traumatic brain injury is determined to be likely present, and more tests are required to be performed on the subject; and

a third indication, which is displayed if there is no traumatic brain injury determined to be present.