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Noninvasive transcranial Doppler ultrasound computerized mental performance testing system

  • US 6,390,979 B1
  • Filed: 08/24/2001
  • Issued: 05/21/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2001
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A noninvasive method to determine the mental performance capacity of a human subject to perform a given task, including steps of:

  • (a) obtaining a subject'"'"'s baseline cerebral blood flow velocity in cerebral arteries on both sides of the brain using a transcranial Doppler ultrasound instrument with two probes placed on the temples and sample volumes focused on cerebral vessels on both sides;

    (b) simultaneously with (a) obtaining the mean blood flow velocity and calculating laterality index;

    (c) testing the subject with tasks of mental performance presented on the screen of a digital computer and using a computer input peripheral device while simultaneously monitoring the mean blood flow velocity during each stage of the task in real-time;

    (d) determining mental performance status using the laterality index calculated from mean cerebral blood flow velocity;

    (e) simultaneously with (d) assessing the task proficiency of the subject;

    (f) simultaneously with (e) determining the neurocognitive strategy of the subject during performance of the task;

    (g) simultaneously with (f) determining the change in neurocognitive strategy from prior measurements;

    (h) simultaneously with (g) determining if there is a corresponding rise in error rates during task performance; and

    (i) simultaneously with (h) assessing if the critical limit of neurocognitive workload has been reached.

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