ADHD detection by eye saccades

• US 6,652,458 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mclean Hospital (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mclean Hospital (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patton, David L., Parks, Peter A., Blazey, Richard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCrosky, David J.
• Application Number:
  US09/866,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/558, 600/595, 128/903, 128/904, 351/209, 351/210
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/168 Evaluating attention deficit, hyperactivity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof

Abstract

A method of determining whether an individual has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comprising: sampling the eye movement of a human subject during a predetermined time interval when the subject is in an inactive state to provide sampled eye movement data; and analyzing the sampled eye movement data for a pre-selected parameter, to determine whether said pre-selected parameter has a value indicative of ADHD.

Claims

1. A method of determining whether an individual has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comprising:

sampling the eye movement of a human subject during a predetermined time interval when the subject is in an inactive state with no visual stimulus to provide sampled eye movement data; and

analyzing the sampled eye movement data for a pre-selected parameter, to determine whether said pre-selected parameter has a value indicative of ADHD.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said sampling includes sampling the pupillary angle of an eye of said human subject during a predetermined time interval when the subject is in an inactive state;

and

wherein said analyzing includes measuring the angular acceleration of said eye from said pupillary angle samples at equally spaced intervals during a predetermined time interval.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said analyzing includes plotting said angular acceleration measurements in the form of a histogram;

measuring the width of said histogram at a chosen fraction of the maximum value; and

comparing the measured width to a threshold value with widths below said threshold value indicative of a diagnosis of ADHD and widths above the threshold value indicative of normal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said sampling includes irradiating an eye of said human subject with infrared radiation from a source and detecting reflections of said radiation from said eye with a radiation sensitive device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said source of infrared radiation and said radiation sensitive device are mounted on glasses worn by said human subject.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said sampled eye movement data is transmitted to a remote site via a wired or wireless transmission channel, and wherein said analyzing is carried out at said remote site.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said transmission channel includes one or more of transmission channels, telephone, cable, satellite, internet.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein during said pre-determined time interval when said subject is in an inactive state, the subject wears an earphone to block out ambient noise or to receive white noise to reduce or eliminate audio stimulus from the ambient environment during said time interval.

9. A system for determining whether an individual has ADHD comprising;

a device for sampling the eye movement of a human subject during a predetermined time interval when the subject is in an inactive state with no visual stimulus to provide sampled eye movement data; and

an analyzer for analyzing the sampled eye movement data for a pre-selected parameter to determine whether said pre-selected parameter has a value indicative of ADHD.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said device for sampling samples the pupillary angle of an eye of said human subject during a predetermined time interval when said subject is in an inactive state;

and

wherein said analyzer measures the angular acceleration of said eye from said pupillary angle samples at equally spaced intervals during a predetermined time interval.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said analyzer;

(a) plots the angular acceleration measurements in the form of a histogram;

(b) measures the width of said histogram at a chosen fraction of the maximum value; and

(c) compares the measured width to a threshold value with widths below said threshold value indicative of a diagnosis of ADHD and widths above the threshold value indicative of normal.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said sampling device includes a source of infrared radiation for irradiating an eye of said human subject with infrared radiation, and further includes an infrared radiation sensitive device for detecting reflections of said radiation from said eye.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said source of infrared radiation and said infrared radiation sensitive device are mounted on glasses worn by said human subject.

14. The system of claim 9 including a transmitter for transmitting said sampled eye movement data to a remote site via a wired or wireless transmission channel and wherein said analyzer is located at said remote site.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said transmission channel includes one or more of telephone, cable, satellite, Internet transmission channels.

16. A method of determining whether an individual has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comprising:

sampling the eye movement of a human subject during a predetermined time interval when the subject is in sensory deprived surroundings to provide sampled eye movement data; and

analyzing the sampled eye movement data for a pre-selected parameter, to determine whether said pre-selected parameter has a value indicative of ADHD.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said sampling includes sampling the pupillary angle of an eye of said human subject during a predetermined time interval when the subject is in sensory deprived surroundings;

and

wherein said analyzing includes measuring the angular acceleration of said eye from said pupillary angle samples at equally spaced intervals during a predetermined time interval.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said analyzing includes plotting said angular acceleration measurements in the form of a histogram;

measuring the width of said histogram at a chosen fraction of the maximum value; and

comparing the measured width to a threshold value with widths below said threshold value indicative of a diagnosis of ADHD and widths above the threshold value indicative of normal.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said sampling includes irradiating an eye of said human subject with infrared radiation from a source and detecting reflections of said radiation from said eye with a radiation sensitive device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said source of infrared radiation and said radiation sensitive device are mounted on glasses worn by said human subject.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said sampled eye movement data is transmitted to a remote site via a wired or wireless transmission channel, and wherein said analyzing is carried out at said remote site.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said transmission channel includes one or more of transmission channels, telephone, cable, satellite, internet.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein during said pre-determined time interval when said subject is in an inactive state, the subject wears an earphone to block out ambient noise or to receive white noise to reduce or eliminate audio stimulus from the ambient environment during said time interval.

24. A system for determining whether an individual has ADHD comprising;

a device for sampling the eye movement of a human subject during a predetermined time interval when the subject is in sensory deprived surroundings to provide sampled eye movement data; and

an analyzer for analyzing the sampled eye movement data for a pre-selected parameter to determine whether said pre-selected parameter has a value indicative of ADHD.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said device for sampling samples the pupillary angle of an eye of said human subject during a predetermined time interval when said subject is in sensory deprived surroundings;

and

wherein said analyzer measures the angular acceleration of said eye from said pupillary angle samples at equally spaced intervals during a predetermined time interval.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein said analyzer;

(a) plots the angular acceleration measurements in the form of a histogram;

(b) measures the width of said histogram at a chosen fraction of the maximum value; and

(c) compares the measured width to a threshold value with widths below said threshold value indicative of a diagnosis of ADHD and widths above the threshold value indicative of normal.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein said sampling device includes a source of infrared radiation for irradiating an eye of said human subject with infrared radiation, and further includes an infrared radiation sensitive device for detecting reflections of said radiation from said eye.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said source of infrared radiation and said infrared radiation sensitive device are mounted on glasses worn by said human subject.

29. The system of claim 24 including a transmitter for transmitting said sampled eye movement data to a remote site via a wired or wireless transmission channel and wherein said analyzer is located at said remote site.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein said transmission channel includes one or more of telephone, cable, satellite, Internet transmission channels.