Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
279 words
A method for the evaluation and visual display of abnormal electromagnetic physiological data of the brain and the heart, said method including the steps of: a) Attaching or approximating a set of electrodes and magnetic sensors to the scalp or torso of a patient to detect electromagnetic physiological activity in the form of electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalogram (MEG), brain evoked response (ER), electrocardiogram (EKG), and magnetocardiogram (MKG); b) Amplifying the said electromagnetic signals detected at each electrode and magnetic sensor; c) Obtaining on-line digital spatio-temporal signals, consisting of said EEG, MEG, ER, EKG, and MKG, by connecting analog-digital converters to each amplifier, and digitizing all data as it is gathered; d) Obtaining sets of said spatio-temporal signals for the patient, and computing the coefficients of its expansions in a spatio-temporal functional basis defined by the tensorial product of selected functional bases for the spatial and temporal domains, ; e) Computing estimates of the parameters determined by statistical parametric models for the probabilistic moments of said coefficients for a patient; f) Automatic construction of summarized topographic maps by a process of diagnostically useful summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different instants or frequencies, and automatic construction of summarized curves by a process of summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different electrodes and magnetic sensors; g) Computing multivariate topographic maps and curves based on the comparison of said summarized topographic maps and curves with their means, standard deviations and correlations in stored normative data bases from normal subjects; h) Visually displaying said multivariate topographic maps and curves in a diagnostically useful color-coded probability scale.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
279 words
A method for the evaluation and visual display of abnormal electromagnetic physiological data of the brain and the heart, said method including the steps of: a) Attaching or approximating a set of electrodes and magnetic sensors to the scalp or torso of a patient to detect electromagnetic physiological activity in the form of electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalogram (MEG), brain evoked response (ER), electrocardiogram (EKG), and magnetocardiogram (MKG); b) Amplifying the said electromagnetic signals detected at each electrode and magnetic sensor; c) Obtaining on-line digital spatio-temporal signals, consisting of said EEG, MEG, ER, EKG, and MKG, by connecting analog-digital converters to each amplifier, and digitizing all data as it is gathered; d) Obtaining sets of said spatio-temporal signals for the patient, and computing the coefficients of its expansions in a spatio-temporal functional basis defined by the tensorial product of selected functional bases for the spatial and temporal domains, ; e) Computing estimates of the parameters determined by statistical parametric models for the probabilistic moments of said coefficients for a patient; f) Automatic construction of summarized topographic maps by a process of diagnostically useful summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different instants or frequencies, and automatic construction of summarized curves by a process of summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different electrodes and magnetic sensors; g) Computing multivariate topographic maps and curves based on the comparison of said summarized topographic maps and curves with their means, standard deviations and correlations in stored normative data bases from normal subjects; h) Visually displaying said multivariate topographic maps and curves in a diagnostically useful color-coded probability scale.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
121 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said functional basis for the temporal domain is the trigonometric basis (i.e., the Fourier expansion); said parameters are the variances of the Fourier coefficients (i.e., the spectrum) for each electrode and frequency, which are estimated by the sample spectrum or periodogram; and normative mean values, standard deviations and correlations of the periodogram are obtained by non-linear and heteroscedastic regression analysis of the log-periodogram as function of frequency and age for each electrode, using a stored normative data base of normal subjects; said regression analysis being based upon mean and variance regression functions constructed by the tensorial product of a polynomial basis for the age and a spline basis for the frequency domain.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
78 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said functional basis is constructed by the tensorial product of the trigonometric basis (i.e. Fourier expansion) for the time domain and the reproducing kernel basis determined by the positions of the set of electrodes and a norm of functional smoothness for the spatial domain; and said parameters are the parameters of a multivariate autoregressive time series model for the vector of coefficients of the expansion in said spatial functional basis.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said parametric model for said probabilistic moments is based upon a given source model, such as a multiple dipole source model, with or without time varying locations and moments.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the temporal and/or spatial basis are wavelet bases in order to account for nonstationarities and for multiresolution representation of said sets of signals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the multivariate topographic maps and curves of a given patient are obtained by computing the residual of each value of the patient's summarized map or curve with respect to its expected value, given the remaining values of the patient, in accordance to the probability distribution of the normative population stored in a computer memory.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the multivariate topographic maps and curves of a given patient are obtained by computing the vector which points in the direction of maximal statistical deviation of the patient's summarized map or curve from the map or curve representative of the normative population.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the visual display of said multivariate topographic maps and curves is carried out using the probability values defined by the distribution functions of the maximum and minimum of said maps and curves stored in a normative database, and the representation of these probability values by a color-coded scale.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
290 words
A system for the evaluation and visual display of abnormal electromagnetic physiological data of the brain and the heart that comprises: a) A set of electrodes and/or magnetic sensors adapted to be attached or approximated to the scalp or torso of a patient in order to detect electromagnetic physiological activity in the form of electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalogram (MEG), brain evoked response (ER), electrocardiogram (EKG), and magnetocardiogram (MKG); b) A system for the amplification of the aforementioned physiological activity; c) Means for the analog-to-digital conversion of the preamplified physiological activity in the form of digital spatio-temporal signals, representative of the aforementioned EEG, MEG, ER, EKG, and MKG; d) Means for storing sets of said spatio-temporal signals for the patient, and for computing the coefficients of its expansions in a spatio-temporal functional basis defined by the tensorial product of selected functional bases for the spatial and temporal domains; e) Means for computing estimates of the parameters determined by statistical parametric models for the moments of said coefficients for a patient; f) Means for the automatic construction of summarized topographic maps by a process of diagnostically useful summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different instants or frequencies, and automatic construction of summarized curves by a process of summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different electrodes and magnetic sensors; g) Means for computing multivariate topographic maps and curves for a given patient based on the comparison of said summarized topographic maps and curves with their means, standard deviations and correlations in stored normative data bases from normal subjects; h) Means for visually displaying said multivariate topographic maps and curves in a diagnostically useful color-coded probability scale.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
290 words
A system for the evaluation and visual display of abnormal electromagnetic physiological data of the brain and the heart that comprises: a) A set of electrodes and/or magnetic sensors adapted to be attached or approximated to the scalp or torso of a patient in order to detect electromagnetic physiological activity in the form of electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalogram (MEG), brain evoked response (ER), electrocardiogram (EKG), and magnetocardiogram (MKG); b) A system for the amplification of the aforementioned physiological activity; c) Means for the analog-to-digital conversion of the preamplified physiological activity in the form of digital spatio-temporal signals, representative of the aforementioned EEG, MEG, ER, EKG, and MKG; d) Means for storing sets of said spatio-temporal signals for the patient, and for computing the coefficients of its expansions in a spatio-temporal functional basis defined by the tensorial product of selected functional bases for the spatial and temporal domains; e) Means for computing estimates of the parameters determined by statistical parametric models for the moments of said coefficients for a patient; f) Means for the automatic construction of summarized topographic maps by a process of diagnostically useful summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different instants or frequencies, and automatic construction of summarized curves by a process of summarization of the information contained in said sets of signals or probabilistic moments corresponding to different electrodes and magnetic sensors; g) Means for computing multivariate topographic maps and curves for a given patient based on the comparison of said summarized topographic maps and curves with their means, standard deviations and correlations in stored normative data bases from normal subjects; h) Means for visually displaying said multivariate topographic maps and curves in a diagnostically useful color-coded probability scale.