Method of and apparatus for quantitative evaluation of current changes in a functional state of human organism

• US 5,771,897 A
• Filed: 04/08/1996
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L Sitnikov
• Original Assignee: L Sitnikov
• Inventors: Zufrin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahr, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): YARNELL, BRYAN KEITH
• Application Number:
  US08/629,138
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 128/630, 128/670, 128/671, 128/696, 128/700, 128/731, 128/716, 128/732, 128/733, 128/721, 364/413.02, 364/413.05, 364/413.06
• US Class Current: 600/483
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• 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 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms

Abstract

A quantitative evaluation of current changes in a functional state of a human organism is performed by evaluation of characteristics of interaction processes of at least two different physiological systems of the organism.

Claims

1. A method of quantitative evaluation of current changes in a functional state of a human organism, comprising the steps of evaluating characteristics of interaction processes of at least two different physiological systems of the organism, said evaluating including joint evaluating of characteristics of interaction processes of at least two different physiological systems of the organism by means of joint analyzing of parameters of at least one of electrophysiological signals, physiological processes, and electrophysiological signals and physiological processes characterized two different physiological systems, said joint evaluating including demodulating of said at least one of electrophysiological signals, physiological processes, and electrophysiological signals and physiological processes of said two different physiological systems for isolating variations of parameters of said at least one of electrophysiological signals and physiological processes of said at least two different physiological systems, measuring of current values of said variations of said parameters, and jointly cross-correlating and cross-spectral processing of the measured current values of said variations of said parameters of said at least one of electrophysiological signals, physiological processes, and electrophysiological signals and physiological processes of said at least two different physiological systems.

2. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising the step of averaging the current values of the variations of the parameters within chosen equidistant time intervals when the at least one of electrophysiological signals and physiological processes are uninterrupted.

3. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising the step of interpolating the current values of the variations of the parameters within chosen equidistant time intervals, when the at least one of electrophysiological signals and physiological processes are discrete but not equidistant.

4. A method as defined in claim 3;

and further comprising the step of consequently averaging data within equidistant time intervals that are multiples of the previously chosen intervals of at least one of averaging and interpolating.

5. A method as defined in claim 4;

and further comprising the step of forming at least two data arrays with equal time intervals and an equal duration corresponding to at least one of the analyzed electrophysiological signals and physiological processes.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of cross-correlating and cross-spectral processing includes estimating of an average power of a cross-spectrum in at least one frequency window isolated from a whole frequency band of the cross-spectrum in connection with a given task of evaluation of the current changes in the state of the human organism.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said step of estimating of the average power includes averaging only those spectral power components in a frequency window that exceeds a given threshold level chosen independently for each frequency window.

8. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further including the step of choosing a value of a time shift of a further analysis epoch in relation to a beginning of a previous analysis epoch; and

repeating all cycles many times within a given time interval in which the evaluating of the changes in a state of the organism is done.

9. A method as defined in claim 8;

and further comprising the step of making a decision about achieving a given evaluation of the changes in a state of the organism by comparing current values of an average power of a cross-spectrum in at least one chosen frequency window with a threshold level conditioned by a given task.

10. An apparatus for quantitative evaluation of current changes in a functional state of a human organism, comprising means for evaluation of characteristics of interaction processes of at least two different physiological systems of the organism, said means for evaluation including means for demodulating at least one of electrophysiological signals, physiological processes, and electrophysiological signals and physiological processes as for isolating variations of parameters of said at least one of electrophysiological signals physiological process, and electrophysiological signals and physiological processes of said at least two different physiological systems, means for measuring current values of the variations of the parameters of the at least one of electrophysiological signals, physiological processes, and electrophysiological signals and physiological processes of the at least two different physiological systems, and means for joint-correlation and cross-spectral processing of the measured current values of the variations of the parameters of the at least one of electrophysiological signals, physiological processes, and electrophysiological signals and physiological processes of the at least two different physiological systems.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, comprising means for averaging the current values of the variations of the parameters within chosen equidistant time intervals, when the least one of electrophysiological signals and physiological processes are uninterrupted.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising means for interpolating the current values of the variations of the parameters within chosen equidistant time intervals, when the at least one of electrophysiological signals and physiological processes are discrete by not equidistant.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, and further comprising means for consequently averaging data within equidistant time intervals that are multiples of the previously chosen intervals of at least one of averaging and interpolating.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, and further comprising means for forming at least two data arrays with equal time intervals and an equal duration corresponding to the at least one of the analyzed electrophysiological signals and physiological processes.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein said means for cross-correlation and cross-spectral processing is formed so as to estimate an average power of a cross-spectrum in at least one frequency window isolated from a whole frequency band of the cross-spectrum in connection with a given task of evaluation of the current changes in the state of the human organism.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein said means for estimating the average power is formed so as to provide averaging only those spectral power components in the frequency window that exceeds a given threshold level chosen independently for each frequency window.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 10;

and further comprising means for choosing a value of a time shift of a further analysis epoch in relation to a beginning of a previous analysis epoch, and repeating all cycles many times within a given time interval in which the evaluating of the changes in a state of the organism is done.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17;

and further comprising means making a decision about achieving a given evaluation of the changes in the state of the organism by comparing current values of an average power of a cross-spectrum in each at least one chosen frequency window with a threshold level conditioned by a given task.