IP Library Granted Patent US 7,471,978
Granted Patent B2
US 7,471,978 · App. 10/045,799 · Granted Dec 30, 2008

Brain function scan system

Assignee: New York University
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,471,978
App. No.
10/045,799
Granted
Dec 30, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A portable EEG (electroencephalograph) instrument, especially for use in emergencies and brain assessments in physicians' offices, detects and amplifies brain waves and converts them into digital data for analysis by comparison with data from normal groups. In one embodiment, the EEG electrodes are in a headband which broadcasts the data, by radio or cellular phone, to a local receiver for re-transmission and/or analysis. In another embodiment, the subject is stimulated in two modes, i.e., aural and sensory, at two different frequencies to provide the subject's EPs (Evoked Potentials), assessing transmission through the brainstem and thalamus.

Claims (12)

1. A medical system to analyze brain waves of a subject comprising:

(a) an active EEG (electroencephalograph) electrode detecting a subject's brain waves;

(b) a stimulus generator providing to the subject concurrent sense stimuli in a plurality of stimulus modes, the stimuli in a first one of the modes being at a frequency F 1 and the stimuli in a second one of the modes being at a frequency F 2 ;

(c) an amplifier amplifying and digitizing the detected brain waves;

(d) a processor receiving the digitized brain waves from (c) and producing subject brain wave F ratio data as a function of a power of brain responses at each of F 1 and F 2 in the presence and absence of stimulation;

(e) a computer comparing the subject brain wave F ratio data from (d) with one of brain wave F ratio data generated as a function of one of (i) data from a control group of patients and (ii) data generated by the subject in the presence and absence of stimulation;

(f) an output coupled to the computer and producing a warming when the comparison of (e) indicates one of injury to and dysfunction of one of the subject's spinal cord, brain stem and brain; and

(g) a modulator modulating a carrier wave and the amplified brain waves to generate an audio signal therefrom.

2. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein a statistical evaluation of computed measures from a subject is determined by computing a Z-score, where Z =(M−P)/6, wherein M is a mean value of a normative distribution, P is a current measure from the subject and 6 is a standard deviation of a control age- matched population.

3. The medical system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a radio broadcast transmitter; and

a headband situating thereon the electrode, the amplifier and the radio broadcast transmitter.

Assignments (2)
TO CORRECT NOTICE OF RECORDATION NO. 101959646A MAILED MARCH 20, 2002 WHICH RECORDED THE ASSIGNMENT WITH REEL/FRAME: 012493/0389 ON JANUARY 10, 2002 CORRECTING ASSIGNOR'S NAMES. Recorded Aug 4, 2005
From: JOHN, ERWIN R.; JOHN, MICHAEL S.
To: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 016392/0478 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2002
From: JOHN, ERWIN R.; JOHN, MICHAEL S.
To: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 012493/0389 →
Continuity (3)
Division 0944736900 · Nov 23, 1999
Division 0890845600 · Aug 7, 1997
Related Publication 20020091335A1 · Jul 11, 2002