Vector space methods towards the assessment and improvement of neurological conditions
Path variables of a mallet cube until a hit in an interactive game involving cubes movable in three dimensions are indicative of both hyperactivity and inattention.
1. A method of diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) employing a system comprising a plurality of cubes, each cube comprising a tangible computer that:
wirelessly communicates with a game computer;
includes a display on one side, wherein the display displays an image received from said game computer;
wherein a cube wirelessly communicates motion information to said game computer, the method comprising:
employing on said game computer a tangible-graphical interactive game with a patient that requires a patient to move a mallet cube to hit a gopher cube, wherein the mallet cube displays on its display a mallet image; and wherein the gopher cube displays on its display a gopher image;
the tangible-graphical interactive game using motion information from the mallet cube to determine the movement of the mallet cube in at least 2 dimensions from a starting position until the mallet cube hits the gopher cube to generate measurement metrics; and
generating from said measurement metrics a signal that indicates whether there is a likelihood that the patient has ADHD.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the signal is generated from an algorithm that employs variables; wherein the variables comprise selected measurement metrics which are determined iteratively employing a machine learning feedback algorithm.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating step comprises employing a Random Forest algorithm.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein tangible-graphical interactive game determines from said measurement metrics a path that comprises the locations of the mallet cube from a starting position until a final position when the mallet cube hits the gopher cube and wherein a path having excessive movement is indicative of a hyperactive patient.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein a path has excessive movement when a total length of a path exceeds a most efficient path.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the total length of a path is determined by the sum of its displacement vectors, wherein a displacement vector is determined by successive locations and direction of the mallet cube at successive ticks, and a tick is a unit of time in the tangible-graphic interactive game.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein total directional change of a path comprises the sum of the angles between displacement vectors and wherein the total directional change is indicative of a hyperactive patient.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the average velocity of movement is indicative of inattention.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the average velocity of movement is the length of the displacement vector divided by the time it took between ticks.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the game employs spatial, audio and image distractors.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein the directional change is a measure of the angle between displacement vectors at successive ticks.