Method and system for quantitative assessment of visual motion discrimination

• US 8,562,541 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognivue Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cerebral Assessment Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Duffy, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, SEAN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/560,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 600/558, 351/239, 351/246, 434/136, 434/167, 434/227, 434/236
• US Class Current: 600/558
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/02 Subjective types, i.e. testing apparatus requiring the active assistance of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/032 Devices for presenting test symbols or characters, e.g. test chart projectors A61B3/036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• 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 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/168 Evaluating attention deficit, hyperactivity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4088 Diagnosing of monitoring cognitive diseases, e.g. Alzheimer, prion diseases or dementia
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A method is presented to address quantitative assessment of visual motion discrimination in a subject, where the method comprises the steps of: (1) presenting a scene, comprising a plurality of elements and a background, to a subject on a display; (2) moving a plurality of elements relative to the scene; (3) receiving feedback from the subject; (4) quantitatively refining the feedback; (5) modulating the movement relative to accuracy of the received feedback; (6) monitoring the response error; (7) calculating a critical threshold parameter for the subject; and (8) recording a critical threshold parameter onto a tangible computer readable medium. An apparatus for quantitative assessment of visual motion discrimination of a subject comprising a display device, an input device, a control device, and a tangible computer readable medium. In its simplest sense, a quantitative assessment profile of visual motion discrimination by psychophysical responses is generated on a tangible computer readable medium.

Claims

1. A method to evaluate functional impairment in a brain of a subject, said method comprising the steps of:

performing a visual motion discrimination test, said visual motion discrimination test assessing a subject'"'"'s ability to visually follow movement, said visual motion discrimination test comprising the following steps executed on a processor;

presenting at least one scene to said subject on a display, said scene comprising a plurality of elements and a background;

moving said plurality of elements relative to said scene, said movement being tracked by said subject via at least one input device;

receiving feedback from said subject via said input device;

quantitatively refining said received feedback relative to said scene;

modulating said movement relative to accuracy of said quantitatively refined feedback, said modulated movement associated with a predetermined target;

calculating a critical threshold parameter for said subject;

recording said critical threshold parameter onto a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

using said critical threshold parameter in assessing, evaluating, or determining at least one functional impairment in a brain of said subject.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the additional steps of:

monitoring at least one response error from said subject; and

measuring said response error relative to a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of elements further comprises a plurality of contrast levels.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of elements further comprises a plurality of circles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of elements is moved to a random location on said scene.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said movement is discontinuous.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said movement is continuous.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said movement is associated with a predetermined mathematical relationship with the predetermined target.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said movement is characterized by at least one of the following:

optic flow;

planar motion;

circular motion;

translational motion;

spiral motion; and

radial motion.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said movement is associated with a variation in velocity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined target further comprises at least one of the following:

an origin;

an edge; and

a point.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined target is associated with a predetermined eccentricity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said modulated movement further comprises a change in at least one of the following:

coherence;

location;

direction; and

speed.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said quantitative refinement is associated with saliency.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said critical threshold parameter is implemented in a different functional impairment assessment test.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said display presents at least one spatial variation in said scene.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium, said medium containing instructions executable by a processor to evaluate functional impairment in a brain of a subject, the steps comprising:

performing a visual motion discrimination test, said visual motion discrimination test assessing a subject'"'"'s ability to visually follow movement, said visual motion discrimination test comprising the following steps;

presenting at least one scene to said subject on a display, said scene comprising a plurality of elements and a background;

moving said plurality of elements relative to said scene, said movement being tracked by said subject via at least one input device;

receiving feedback from said subject via said input device;

quantitatively refining said received feedback relative to said scene;

modulating said movement relative to accuracy of said quantitatively refined feedback, said modulated movement associated with a predetermined target;

calculating a critical threshold parameter for said subject; and

outputting said critical threshold parameter, said critical threshold parameter used in assessing, evaluating, or determining at least one functional impairment in a brain of said subject.

18. The medium of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the additional steps of:

monitoring at least one response error from said subject; and

measuring said response error relative to a predetermined threshold.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein said plurality of elements further comprises a plurality of contrast levels.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein said plurality of elements is moved to a random location on said scene.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein said movement is continuous.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein said movement is associated with a predetermined mathematical relationship with the predetermined target.

23. The medium of claim 17, wherein said movement is characterized by at least one of the following:

optic flow;

planar motion;

circular motion;

translational motion;

spiral motion; and

radial motion.