EEG TRIGGERED FMRI SIGNAL ACQUISITION

• US 20110046473A1
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: NeuroFocus Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Pradeep, Anantha, Knight, Robert T., Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran
• Application Number:
  US12/544,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20110046473A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/413
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/12 Healthy persons not otherwise provided for, e.g. subjects of a marketing survey
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4806 Functional imaging of brain activation
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5673 Gating or triggering based on a physiological signal other than an MR signal, e.g. ECG gating or motion monitoring using optical systems for monitoring the motion of a fiducial marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/25 Fusion techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Neuro-response data including Electroencephalography (EEG) and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data is collected, filtered and/or analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of stimulus materials such as marketing and entertainment materials. A data collection mechanism obtains fMRI signals indicating a hemodynamic response to marketing or entertainment stimuli. In certain embodiments, such signals include region-specific blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals that correlate with region-specific neural activity. fMRI signal acquisition is triggered by one or more EEG signatures indicating neural activity in response to exposure to stimulus materials.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a data collection mechanism including a plurality of modalities operable to obtain response data from a subject exposed to stimulus material including marketing and entertainment stimulus material, the response data comprising electroencephalography (EEG) response data and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) response data;

an fMRI data collection initiator operable to initiate fMRI data collection using an EEG signature included in the EEG response data;

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a filter connected to the data collection mechanism is operable to remove cross-modality interference from the EEG response data and the fMRI response data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a cross-modality response synthesizer is operable to analyze EEG response data and fMRI response data to evaluate effectiveness of the stimulus material, wherein EEG response data is combined with fMRI response data.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the fMRI data collection initiator is operable to initiate fMRI data collection using an EEG spike.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the fMRI data collection initiator is operable to initiate fMRI data collection using an EEG polyspike.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the fMRI data collection initiator is operable to initiate fMRI data collection using a recognizable EEG pattern.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the EEG signature comprises event related potential (ERP) data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein removing cross-modality interference comprises removing EEG generated artifacts from fMRI response data and fMRI generated artifacts from EEG response data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein EEG response data is aligned with fMRI response data, wherein aligning EEG response data with fMRI response data comprises time and phase shifting.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein fMRI measures are aligned and combined with electroencephalography (EEG) to enhance estimates of effectiveness.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein EEG response data is combined with fMRI response data to determine attention, emotional engagement, and memory retention.

12. A method, comprising:

obtaining response data using a plurality of modalities, the response data obtained from a subject exposed to stimulus material including marketing and entertainment stimulus material, the response data comprising electroencephalography (EEG) response data and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) response data, wherein obtaining response data using a plurality of modalities comprises triggering fMRI response data collection using an EEG signature.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising removing cross-modality interference from the EEG response data and the fMRI response data.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising analyzing EEG response data and fMRI response data to evaluate effectiveness of the stimulus material, wherein EEG response data is combined with fMRI response data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein removing cross-modality interference comprises removing EEG generated artifacts from fMRI response data and fMRI generated artifacts from EEG response data.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein EEG response data is aligned with fMRI response data, wherein aligning EEG response data with fMRI response data comprises time and phase shifting.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the EEG signature comprises event related potential (ERP) data.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein triggering fMRI response data collection comprises identifying an EEG spike.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein triggering fMRI response data collection comprises identifying an EEG polyspike.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

means for obtaining response data using a plurality of modalities, the response data obtained from a subject exposed to stimulus material including marketing and entertainment stimulus material, the response data comprising electroencephalography (EEG) response data and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) response data;

means for triggering fMRI data collection using EEG response data;

means for removing cross-modality interference from the EEG response data and the fMRI response data;

means for analyzing EEG response data and fMRI response data to evaluate effectiveness of the stimulus material, wherein EEG response data is combined with fMRI response data.