Evoked response audiometer for testing sleeping subjects
First Claim
1. An evoked response audiometer comprising means of supplying to a sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated such that the stimulus is at least substantially frequency specific, said auditory signal being presented for a sufficiently extended period of time to enable phase-locked steady-state potentials to be evoked in the brain, means for sampling the brain potential signals evoked by said signal, and means for analysing said brain potentials to determine whether phase-locking of said brain potentials to the modulated auditory signal has occurred, said auditory signal means being controlled so that said auditory signals are periodically modulated at frequencies of at least 70 Hz, the frequency of modulation being varied in a generally increasing manner for auditory signals of higher frequencies.
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Abstract
An evoked response audiometer for sleeping subjects comprising a function generator for supplying to a sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated at frequencies in excess of 60 Hz, the frequency of modulation being varied in a generally increasing manner for auditory signals of higher frequencies such that the stimulus is frequency specific, a detector for sampling and analyzing brain potentials evoked by said signal, a low-pass filter providing a time window which samples the brain potentials for a predetermined interval to provide sets of fourier analysis samples containing amplitude and phase data in narrow bands centered on the modulation frequency and its second harmonic, a computer for analyzing the Fourier analysis samples to extract means values of the amplitudes and phase angles of the signals, and for extracting from the means values of the phase angles the probabilities that the distributions of the phase angles could have occurred by change, whereby the existence of phase locking of the brain potential signals can be determined.
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Citations
18 Claims
- 1. An evoked response audiometer comprising means of supplying to a sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated such that the stimulus is at least substantially frequency specific, said auditory signal being presented for a sufficiently extended period of time to enable phase-locked steady-state potentials to be evoked in the brain, means for sampling the brain potential signals evoked by said signal, and means for analysing said brain potentials to determine whether phase-locking of said brain potentials to the modulated auditory signal has occurred, said auditory signal means being controlled so that said auditory signals are periodically modulated at frequencies of at least 70 Hz, the frequency of modulation being varied in a generally increasing manner for auditory signals of higher frequencies.
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3. A method of testing the hearing of a sleeping patient comprising the steps of:
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supplying to said sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated at frequencies in excess of 70 Hz such that the stimulus is at least substantially frequency specific, said auditory signal being presented for sufficiently extended period of time to enable phase-locked steady-state potentials to be evoked in the brain, sampling the brain potential signals evoked by said signal, and analysing said brain potentials to determine whether phase-locking of said brain potentials to the modulated auditory signal has occurred, the frequency of modulation being varied in a generally increasing manner for auditory signals of higher frequencies.
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4. An evoked response audiometer comprising means of supplying to a sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated such that the stimulus is at least substantially frequency specific, said auditory signal being presented for a sufficiently extended period of time to enable phase-locked steady-state potentials to be evoked in the brain, means for sampling the brain potential signals evoked by said signal, and means for analyzing said brain potentials to determine whether phase-locking of said brain potentials to the modulated auditory signals has occurred, said auditory signal means being controlled so that said auditory signals are periodically modulated at frequencies selected according to the following table:
space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ Auditory Signal Modulation Frequency ______________________________________ (a) Normal Sleeping Neonates 500 Hz;
at least 70 Hz and substantially within the range of 70-140 Hz, 1.5 kHz;
at least 75 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-165 Hz, 4 kHz;
at least 75 to at least 200 Hz, (b) Normal Sleeping Adults 250 Hz;
at least 70 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-130 Hz, 500 Hz;
at least 75 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-180 Hz, 1 kHz;
at least 75 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-200 Hz, 2 kHz;
at least 75 to at least 200 Hz, 4 kHz;
at least 75 to at least 200 Hz. ______________________________________- View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of testing the hearing of a sleeping patient comprising the steps of supplying to said sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated such that the stimulus is at least substantially frequency specific, said auditory signal being presented for a sufficiently extended period of time to enable phase-locked, steady-state potentials to be evoked in the brain, sampling the brain potentials to determine whether phase-locking of said brain potentials to the modulated auditory signal has occurred, said auditory signals being periodically modulated at frequencies selected according to the following table:
space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ Auditory Signal Modulation Frequency ______________________________________ (a) Normal Sleeping Neonates 500 Hz;
at least 70 Hz and substantially within the range of 70-140 Hz, 1.5 kHz;
at least 75 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-165 Hz, 4 kHz;
at least 75 to at least 200 Hz, (b) Normal Sleeping Adults 250 Hz;
at least 70 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-130 Hz, 500 Hz;
at least 75 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-180 Hz, 1 kHz;
at least 75 Hz and substantially within the range of 75-200 Hz, 2 kHz;
at least 75 to at least 200 Hz, 4 kHz;
at least 75 to at least 200 Hz. ______________________________________- View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An evoked response audiometer comprising means of supplying to a sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated such that the stimulus is at least substantially frequency specific, said auditory signal being presented for a sufficiently extended period of time to enable phase-locked steady-state potentials to be evoked in the brain, means for sampling the brain potential signals evoked by said signal, and means for analyzing said brain potentials to determine whether phase-locking of said brain potentials to the modulated auditory signal has occurred, said auditory signal means being controlled so that said auditory signals are periodically modulated at frequencies of at least 70 Hz, the frequency of modulation being varied in a generally increasing manner for auditory signals of higher frequencies;
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said sampling means comprising means for multiplying said brain potential signals by said modulation frequency waveform and its quadrature component and by the waveform of the second harmonic of the modulation frequency and its quadrature component to produce product waveforms; means for low-pass filtering said product waveforms to provide a time window which samples the brain potential for a predetermined interval to provide a set of Fourier analysis samples containing amplitude and phase data in narrow bands centered on the modulation frequency and its second harmonic. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of testing the hearing of a sleeping patient comprising the steps of:
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supplying to said sleeping patient an auditory signal consisting of a carrier frequency which is periodically modulated at frequencies in excess of 70 Hz such that the stimulus is at least substantially frequency specific, said auditory signal being presented for a sufficiently extended period of time to enable phase-locked steady-state potentials to be evoked in the brain; sampling the brain potential signals evoked by said signal; analysing said brain potentials to determine whether phase-locking of said brain potentials to the modulated auditory signal has occurred, the frequency of modulation being varied in a generally increasing manner for auditory signals of higher frequencies; multiplying said brain potential signals by said modulation frequency waveform and its quadrature component and by the second harmonic of the modulation frequency and its quadrature component to produce product waveforms; low-pass filtering said product waveforms to provide a time window which samples the brain potential for a predetermined interval to provide sets of samples containing amplitude and phase data in narrow bands centered on the modulation frequency and its second harmonic, said low-pass filtering providing Fourier analysis of said product waveforms to produce mean values of the amplitude and phaseangles of said signals; and extracting from said mean values of said phase values the probabilities P% that the distributions of said phase angles, could have occurred by chance, whereby the existence of said phase locking is determined. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification