Methods for physiological monitoring, training, exercise and regulation

• US 20050283053A1
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Richard Christopher Decharms
• Original Assignee: Richard Christopher Decharms
• Inventors: deCharms, Richard Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/125,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283053A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0808 for diagnosis of the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/543 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal

Abstract

A computer assisted method for treating pain in a subject comprising measuring activity of one or more internal voxels of a brain of said subject associated with pain; communicating instructions to said subject which modulate activity of said voxel; and training said subject to control said internal voxel

Claims

1. A computer assisted method for treating pain in a subject comprising:

measuring activity of one or more internal voxels of a brain of said subject associated with pain;

communicating instructions to said subject which modulate activity of said voxel; and

training said subject to control said internal voxel.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein measuring brain activity is performed by fMRI.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determinations are made in less than 10 seconds relative to when the activity is measured.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determinations are made in less than 1 second relative to when the activity is measured.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determinations are made in less than 0.5 second relative to when the activity is measured.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the information is determined while the instrument used for measurement remains positioned about the subject.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the activity measurements are made using an apparatus capable of taking measurements from one or more internal voxels without substantial contamination of the measurements by activity from regions intervening between the internal voxels being measured and where the measurement apparatus collects the data.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein measurements are made from at least 100 separate internal voxels, and these measurements are made at a rate of at least once every five seconds.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein measurements are made from a set of separate internal voxels corresponding to a scan volume including the entire brain.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the size of the internal voxels have a total three dimensional volume of 5×

5×

5 cm or less.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the size of the internal voxels have a total three dimensional volume of 1×

1×

1 cm or less.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises selecting one or more of the internal voxels to correspond to a region of interest for the subject and using the selected internal voxels of the region of interest to make the one or more determinations.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the region of interest is selected from the group consisting of the regions listed in FIG. 14, including the substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, nucleus accumbens, locus coeruleus, periaqueductal gray matter, nucleus raphe dorsalis, nucleus basalis of Meynert, dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex, anterior pre-frontal cortex.

14. A method according to claim 12 wherein the region of interest has a primary function of releasing a neuromodulatory substance, where the neuromodulatory substance is selected from the group consisting of:

dopamine, acetyl choline, noradrenaline, serotonin, an endogenous opiate.

15. A method according to claim 1 wherein the information is communicated by a manner selected from the group consisting of providing audio to the subject, providing tactile stimuli to the subject, providing a smell to the subject, displaying an image to the subject.

16. A method according to claim 1 wherein the information communicated is an instruction to the subject.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the instruction is a text or iconic indication denoting an action that a subject is to perform.

18. A method according to claim 16 wherein the instruction identifies a task to be performed by the subject.

19. A method according to claim 16 wherein the instruction is determined by computer executable logic.