APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING BRAIN FUNCTION ENHANCEMENT

• US 20140171757A1
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International
• Original Assignee: Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International
• Inventors: Kawato, Mitsuo, Watanabe, Takeo, Shibata, Kazuhisa, Sasaki, Yuka
• Granted Patent: US 10,959,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/026 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0042 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/245 specially adapted for magnetoencephalographic [MEG] signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/375 using biofeedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0022 by the tactile sense, e.g. vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/02 : for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/005 : Parameter used as control input for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/10 : Electroencephalographic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4806 : Functional imaging of brain activation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 : Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 : for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A training apparatus 1000 using a method of decoding nerve activity includes: a brain activity detecting device 108 for detecting brain activity at a prescribed area within a brain of a subject; and an output device 130 for presenting neurofeedback information (presentation information) to the subject. A processing device 102 decodes a pattern of cranial nerve activity, generates a reward value based on a degree of similarity of the decoded pattern with respect to a target activation pattern obtained in advance for the event as the object of training, and generates presentation information corresponding to the reward value.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement, comprising:

a brain activity detecting device for detecting a signal indicating a brain activity at a prescribed area within a brain of a subject;

a storage device storing information of a target activity pattern obtained beforehand with respect to an event as an object of brain function enhancement; and

a controller;

wherein

said controller includes

a decoding unit for decoding a pattern of cranial nerve activity from the signal detected by said brain activity detecting device, and

a computing unit for computing, based on a result of decoding by said decoding unit, in accordance with degree of similarity of said result of decoding to said target activity pattern, a reward value corresponding to said degree of similarity;

said apparatus further comprising

an output device for outputting presentation information representing magnitude of said reward value to said subject.

2. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 1, wherein said computing unit outputs, as said presentation information, information for presenting said presentation information corresponding to said reward value to said output device, without presenting said event.

3. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 2, wherein

said event is an object of perception leading to an identification problem of which class it is classified to in the brain;

and

said decoding unit calculates likelihood of which class said activation pattern of cranial nerve activity corresponds to.

4. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 2, further comprising:

a supporting terminal including said output device; and

a processing device including said decoding unit, said storage device and said computing unit;

wherein

said supporting terminal includes a communication unit for transmitting a signal detected by said brain function detecting device to said decoding unit.

5. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 1, wherein said decoding unit decodes cranial nerve activity of a specific portion of the brain.

6. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 1, wherein said brain activity detecting device includes a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging device.

7. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 1, wherein said brain activity detecting device includes a device for measuring electroencephalogram and near infrared light from outside of a skull.

10. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 3 further comprising:

a supporting terminal including said output device; and

a processing device including said decoding unit, said storage device and said computing unit;

wherein

said supporting terminal includes a communication unit for transmitting a signal detected by said brain function detecting device to said decoding unit.

11. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 2 wherein said decoding unit decodes cranial nerve activity of a specific portion of the brain.

12. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 2 wherein said brain activity detecting device includes a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging device.

13. The apparatus for supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 2 wherein said brain activity detecting device includes a device for measuring electroencephalogram and near infrared light from outside of a skull.

8. A method of supporting brain function enhancement, using a decoding device decoding a pattern of cranial nerve activity pattern from a signal from a brain activity detecting device for detecting a signal indicating a brain activity at a specific area within the brain of a subject, comprising the steps of:

decoding, from the signal detected by said brain function detecting device, a cranial nerve activity pattern by means of said decoding device;

calculating, in accordance with a degree of similarity between a result of said decoding and said target activity pattern obtained beforehand for an event as an object of brain function enhancement, a reward value corresponding to said degree of similarity; and

presenting, to said subject, presentation information indicating magnitude of said reward value.

9. The method of supporting brain function enhancement according to claim 8, wherein at said step of presenting the presentation information, information for presenting said presentation information corresponding to said reward value is output to an output device without presenting the event as the object of brain function enhancement.