Method, apparatus, and computer program product for stochastic psycho-physiological assessment of attentional impairments

• US 7,761,144 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Original Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Inventors: Robeva, Rayna S., Penberthy, Jennifer Kim, Cox, Daniel J., Kovatchev, Boris P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marmor, II; Charles A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnithithadha; Navin
• Application Number:
  US10/592,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20080220400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 600/544, 600/545, 600/300, 600/481, 600/483, 128920-925
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/168 Evaluating attention deficit, hyperactivity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/256 of results relating to different input data, e.g. multimodal recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product that provides, among other things, a procedure for the enhanced assessment of attention-related impairments of individuals. Further, the method, apparatus, and computer program product enhances existing assessment instruments by providing a way to reduce diagnostic error through the combining of the results of disparate assessment instruments. Potential users of this product will be any person or organization that diagnoses or treats persons with attentional or cognitive impairments. The method can be used for initial screening and diagnosis of disorders associated with impaired attention, such as ADHD, as well as for treatment and evaluation of the effects of treatments, such as medication or additional therapies.

Claims

1. A method of assessing an individual for disorders associated with attentional impairments, said method comprising:

a) obtaining scores of two or more assessment instruments for attentional impairment, conducted on the individual, wherein the scores are representative of disorders of attentional impairments in the individual;

b) standardizing, with a processor, the scores for each of said instruments, wherein said standardizing comprises mapping the possible range of scores for each said instrument to a range of conditional probabilities ranging from about 0 to about 1; and

c) operating, with a processor, upon said standardized scores using a computational procedure to transform the standardized scores into a composite result that has a diagnostic error lower than any of the individual assessment instruments alone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said assessment instruments include two or more of the following:

demographic questionnaires, behavioral checklists, psychometric tests, parent reports, teacher rating forms, or EEG-based vigilance, attention, and consistency measures.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said assessment instruments include the Consistency Index, Alpha Blockade Index, or both.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said standardizing further comprises mapping each indeterminate score, if any, obtained from said instruments to a conditional probability of about 0.5.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the range of possible scores of each said assessment instrument which constitutes an indeterminate score for said instrument is defined such that the likelihood of diagnostic error for each said instrument does not exceed a certain preset probability.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said certain preset probability is within a range of about 0.01 to about 0.1.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said computational procedure is one of the following:

Sequential Bayesian inference procedure, computation of joint probability distribution, multiplication of probabilities, logical expression, or a combination thereof.

8. A computer program product embodied on computer-readable media for assessing an individual for disorders associated with attentional impairments, programmed to perform the following:

a) obtaining scores of two or more assessment instruments for attentional impairment, conducted on the individual, wherein the scores are representative of disorders of attentional impairments in the individual;

b) standardizing the scores for each of said instruments, wherein said standardizing comprises mapping the possible range of scores for each said instrument to a range of conditional probabilities ranging from about 0 to about 1;

c) operating upon said standardized scores using a computational procedure to transform the standardized scores into a composite result that has a diagnostic error lower than any of the individual assessment instruments.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said assessment instruments include two or more of the following:

demographic questionnaires, behavioral checklists, psychometric tests, parent reports, teacher rating forms, or EEG-based vigilance, attention, and consistency measures.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said assessment instruments include the Consistency Index, Alpha Blockade Index, or both.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said standardizing further comprises mapping each indeterminate score, if any, obtained from said instruments to a conditional probability of about 0.5.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the range of possible scores of each said assessment instrument which constitutes an indeterminate score for said instrument is defined such that the likelihood of diagnostic error for each said instrument does not exceed a certain preset probability.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein said certain preset probability is within a range of about 0.01 to about 0.1.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said computational procedure is one of the following:

Sequential Bayesian inference procedure, computation of joint probability distribution, multiplication of probabilities, logical expression, or a combination thereof.

15. A method of diagnosing an attentional impairment disorder comprising:

standardizing, with a processor, scores from a plurality of attentional impairment assessment instruments by translating each score into a conditional probability for a particular attentional impairment to produce a standardized result for each score respectively; and

performing, with a processor, a computational procedure on the standardized results to transform the standardized results into a combined result, wherein the combined result is more accurate than each of the standardized results alone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said assessment instruments include two or more of the following:

demographic questionnaires, behavioral checklists, psychometric tests, parent reports, teacher rating forms, or EEG-based vigilance, attention, and consistency measures.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said assessment instruments include the Consistency Index, Alpha Blockade Index, or both.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said standardizing comprises mapping the possible range of scores for each said instrument to a range of conditional probabilities ranging from about 0 to about 1.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said standardizing further comprises mapping each indeterminate score, if any, obtained from said instruments to a conditional probability of about 0.5.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the range of possible scores of each said assessment instrument which constitutes an indeterminate score for said instrument is defined such that the likelihood of diagnostic error for each said instrument does not exceed a certain preset probability.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said certain preset probability is within a range of about 0.01 to about 0.1.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said computational procedure is one of the following:

Sequential Bayesian inference procedure, computation of joint probability distribution, multiplication of probabilities, logical expression, or a combination thereof.

23. A computer program product embodied on computer-readable media for diagnosing an attentional impairment disorder comprising:

standardizing scores of a plurality of attentional impairment assessment instruments by translating each score into a conditional probability for a particular attentional impairment to produce a standardized result for each score respectively; and

performing a computational procedure on the standardized results to transform the standardized results into a combined result, wherein the combined result is more accurate than each of the standardized results alone.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said assessment instruments include two or more of the following:

demographic questionnaires, behavioral checklists, psychometric tests, parent reports, teacher rating forms, or EEG-based vigilance, attention, and consistency measures.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein said assessment instruments include the Consistency Index, Alpha Blockade Index, or both.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said standardizing comprises mapping the possible range of scores for each said instrument to a range of conditional probabilities ranging from about 0 to about 1.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein said standardizing further comprises mapping each indeterminate score, if any, obtained from said instruments to a conditional probability of about 0.5.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the range of possible scores of each said assessment instrument which constitutes an indeterminate score for said instrument is defined such that the likelihood of diagnostic error for each said instrument does not exceed a certain preset probability.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein said certain preset probability is within a range of about 0.01 to about 0.1.

30. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said computational procedure is one of the following:

Sequential Bayesian inference procedure, computation of joint probability distribution, multiplication of probabilities, logical expression, or a combination thereof.