Systems and methods for sensory and cognitive profiling

• US 9,886,493 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Coleman, Todd Prentice, Ma, Rui, Kim, Sanggyun, Park, Cheolsoo, Gil Da Costa, Ricardo, Fung, Raynard, Mesa, Diego
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Jacqueline
• Assistant Examiner(s): PORTILLO, JAIRO H
• Application Number:
  US14/431,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20150248470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/167 Personality evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/168 Evaluating attention deficit, hyperactivity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/375 using biofeedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/378 Visual stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/38 Acoustic or auditory stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/381 Olfactory or gustatory stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4011 Evaluating olfaction, i.e. sense of smell
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4017 Evaluating sense of taste
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems are disclosed for producing cognitive and/or sensory profiles. In one aspect, a method to provide a cognitive or sensory assessment of a subject includes selecting a profile category from among a cognitive performance profile, a sensory performance profile, and a cognitive and sensory performance profile, presenting a sequence of stimuli to a subject, the sequence of stimuli based on the selected profile category, acquiring physiological signals of the subject before, during, and after the presenting the sequence of stimuli to produce physiological data, and processing the physiological data to generate an information set including one or more quantitative values associated with the selected profile category.

Claims

1. A system for providing a cognitive or sensory assessment, comprising:

a sensor device interfaced to a subject to detect physiological signals exhibited by the subject before, during, and after a presentation of a sequence of stimuli to the subject, the sequence of stimuli based on a cognitive-sensory profile category from among one or more of a cognitive performance profile, a sensory performance profile, or a cognitive and sensory performance profile;

a data processing system in communication with the sensor device and structured to include one or more memory units and one or more processors configured to process the physiological signals to generate an information set including one or more quantitative values associated with the cognitive-sensory profile category,

wherein the data processing system includes;

a local computer located proximate and in communication with the sensor device to receive the detected physiological signals from the sensor device, the local computer configured to conduct initial processing of the detected physiological signals to produce initial physiological signal data, and

a remote computer in communication with the local computer via a communication network or link to receive the initial physiological signal data from the local computer and to process the initial physiological signal data to generate the information set including the one or more quantitative values associated with the cognitive-sensory profile category,

wherein the initial physiological signal data includes a time interval associated with the detected physiological signals based on presented stimuli and the cognitive-sensory profile category, and

wherein the remote computer is configured to;

group the initial physiological signal data corresponding to the time interval into one or more grouped data sets, and

provide a statistical measure of a relationship across or within the grouped data sets to generate the one or more quantitative values;

a stimulus delivery device at a location of the subject and configured to produce the sequence of stimuli that is presented to the subject, wherein the stimuli includes at least one of a visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, or gustatory stimulating medium; and

a stimulus presentation computer in communication with the remote computer and the stimulus delivery device, the stimulus presentation computer configured to modify the sequence of stimuli based at least in part on the information set during presentation of the sequence of stimuli to the subject and produce a modified sequence of stimuli that is individualized with respect to the subject, and to cause the stimulus delivery device to present the modified sequence of stimuli to the subject,

wherein the information set is generated by the data processing system without requiring a behavioral response by the subject to the sequence of stimuli.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the stimulus delivery device includes a display screen to generate a sequence of images.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the stimulus delivery device includes a speaker to generate a sequence of sounds.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein the stimulus delivery device includes an actuator to generate a sequence of at least one of olfactory, tactile, or gustatory stimuli.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the data processing system is configured to produce a machine procedure based on the generated information set, and wherein the machine procedure produced by the data processing system causes the stimulus delivery device to modify the sequence of stimuli for a next presentation to the subject.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein one or both of the stimulus delivery device and the stimulus presentation computer includes a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a mobile communications device including a smartphone or tablet.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the local computer includes a mobile communications device including a smartphone or tablet.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the data processing system is configured to produce a machine procedure based on the generated information set, and wherein the machine procedure actuates another device or system to perform a function derived from information contained within the generated information set.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein the one or more quantitative values includes a quantitative score depicting a level of one or both of cognitive and sensory performance based on at least one of the subject'"'"'s attention, memory, learning ability, confabulation characteristics, pattern integration ability, semantic integration ability, target detection ability, emotional valence, preference, or awareness, and wherein the quantitative score depicts the level at a particular time.

10. The system as in claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes a flexible substrate, sensor electrodes on the flexible substrate, and a transmitter unit in electrical communication with the electrodes and on the flexible substrate, wherein the sensor device is configured as one or more wearable patches worn on the subject'"'"'s scalp to record electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and transmit the recorded EEG signals to at least one of the data processing system or a remote computer system.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes electrodes attachable to the subject to receive electrical signals from the subject.

12. The system as in claim 1, wherein the local computer is configured to produce the initial physiological signal data as individual data specific to the subject, and the remote computer is configured to process the initial physiological signal data to produce the information set that is individualized to the subject.

13. The system as in claim 1, wherein the remote computer is configured to access physiological signal data of other subjects in one or more groups of subjects and use the physiological signal data of other subjects in processing of the initial physiological signal data to produce the information set that is individualized to the subject.

14. The system as in claim 13, wherein the data processing system includes a brain-machine interface module configured to convert the information set that is individualized to the subject into adaptive change or adjustment that is used by the stimulus presentation computer to modify the sequence of stimuli during the presentation to the subject in producing the modified sequence of stimuli that is individualized with respect to the subject.

15. The system as in claim 1, wherein the data processing system includes a brain-machine interface module configured to convert the information set that is individualized to the subject into adaptive change or adjustment that is used by the stimulus presentation computer to modify the sequence of stimuli during the presentation to the subject in producing the modified sequence of stimuli that is individualized with respect to the subject.

16. A system for providing a cognitive or sensory assessment, comprising:

a sensor device interfaced to a subject to detect physiological signals exhibited by the subject before, during, and after a presentation of a sequence of stimuli to the subject, the sequence of stimuli based on a cognitive-sensory profile category from among one or more of a cognitive performance profile, a sensory performance profile, or a cognitive and sensory performance profile;

a data processing system in communication with the sensor device and structured to include one or more memory units and one or more processors configured to process the physiological signals as physiological data to generate an information set including one or more quantitative values associated with the cognitive-sensory profile category;

a stimulus delivery device at a location of the subject and configured to produce the sequence of stimuli that is presented to the subject, wherein the stimuli includes at least one of a visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, or gustatory stimulating medium; and

a stimulus presentation computer in communication with the stimulus delivery device and the data processing system to receive data associated with or derived from the information set and to modify the sequence of stimuli based at least in part on the received data to produce a modified sequence of stimuli that is individualized with respect to the subject, the stimulus presentation computer operable to cause the stimulus delivery device to present the modified sequence of stimuli during the presentation of the sequence of stimuli to the subject,

wherein, to process the physiological data to generate the information set, the data processing system is configured to;

identify a time interval for each of the detected physiological signals based on the presented stimuli and the cognitive-sensory profile category,

group the physiological data corresponding to the time interval into one or more grouped data sets, and

provide a statistical measure of a relationship across or within the grouped data sets to generate the one or more quantitative values for the cognitive-sensory profile category,

wherein the information set is generated by the data processing system without requiring a behavioral response by the subject to the sequence of stimuli.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the data processing system, the stimulus delivery device, and the stimulus presentation computer are configured in a mobile communications device including a smartphone or tablet.