Test of parietal lobe function and associated methods

Abstract

A method for testing for a parietal lobe function deficiency, an occipital lobe function deficiency, and a developmental language disorder in a subject includes displaying to a subject ordered arrays of objects having features in a plurality of dimensions, which the subject is prompted to name. The named features are compared with the correct object features, and a count is maintained of errors and an interval taken to complete the naming process. These numbers are compared with predetermined data to determine possible deficiencies.

1 . A method for testing occipital lobe function in a subject, the method comprising the steps of: 
 displaying to a subject a first ordered array of objects having a variety of colors, each object having a unitary color;    prompting the subject to name the object colors sequentially in order;    comparing the named object colors with the correct object colors;    maintaining a count of errors in the named object colors;    timing an interval taken by the subject to complete naming the object colors;    comparing the color-naming error count and interval with a predetermined color-naming error count and interval, a color-naming error count and interval greater than the predetermined color-naming error count and interval indicative of a possible parietal lobe function deficiency;    displaying to the subject a second ordered array of objects having a variety of shapes;    prompting the subject to name the object shapes sequentially in order;    comparing the named object shapes with the correct object shapes;    maintaining a count of errors in the named object shapes;    timing an interval taken by the subject to complete naming the object shapes; and    comparing the shape-naming error count and interval with a predetermined shape-naming error count and interval, a shape-naming error count and interval greater than the predetermined shape-naming error count and interval indicative of a possible occipital lobe function deficiency.    
   
   
       2 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the objects in the first ordered array all have a substantially analogous shape.  
   
   
       3 . The testing system recited in  claim 1 , wherein the objects in the second ordered array all have a-substantially analogous color.  
   
   
       4 . A method for testing parietal lobe function in a subject, the method comprising the steps of: 
 displaying to the subject a first ordered array of objects having two features, a first feature and a second feature within a first and a second unitary dimension, respectively, the first dimension different from the second dimension;    prompting the subject to name the first and the second feature of each first-array object sequentially in order;    comparing the named first-array object first and second feature with a correct first-array object first and second feature, respectively;    maintaining a first count of errors in the named first and second features;    timing a first interval taken by the subject to complete naming the first and second features;    comparing the first error count and interval with a predetermined first error count and interval, a first error count and interval greater than the predetermined first error count and interval indicative of a possible parietal lobe function deficiency;    displaying to the subject a second ordered array of objects having two features, a third feature and a fourth feature within a third and a fourth unitary dimension, respectively, the third dimension different from the fourth dimension;    prompting the subject to name the third and the fourth feature of each second-array object sequentially in order;    comparing the named second-array object third and fourth feature with a correct second-array object third and fourth feature, respectively;    maintaining a second count of errors in the named third and fourth features;    timing a second interval taken by the subject to complete naming the third and fourth features;    comparing the second error count and interval with a predetermined second error count and interval, a second error count and interval greater than the predetermined second error count and interval indicative of a possible parietal lobe function deficiency.    
   
   
       5 . The method recited in  claim 4 , further comprising the step of performing a two-dimensional comparison of subject data for determining a possible parietal lobe deficiency, the subject data comprising at least one of the first feature and second feature naming error count for the first ordered array versus the third feature and the fourth feature naming error count for the second ordered array and the first and the second feature naming interval for the first ordered array versus the third and the fourth feature naming interval for the second ordered array.  
   
   
       6 . A method for testing parietal lobe function in a subject, the method comprising the steps of: 
 displaying to a subject a first ordered array of objects, each first-array object having a feature within a first unitary dimension;    prompting the subject to name the feature of each first-array object sequentially in order;    comparing the named first-array object features with respective correct first-array object features;    maintaining a first count of errors in the named first-array object features;    timing a first interval taken by the subject to complete naming the first-array object features;    comparing the first error count and interval with a predetermined first error count and interval;    displaying to the subject a second ordered array of objects, each second-array object having a second and a third feature within a second and a third unitary dimension, the second dimension distinct from the third unitary dimension;    prompting the subject to name the second and third feature of each second-array object sequentially in order;    comparing the named second-array object second and third features with correct second-array object second and third features;    maintaining a second count of errors in the named second-array object second and third features;    timing a second interval taken by the subject to complete naming the second-array object second and third features;    comparing the second error count and interval with a predetermined second error count and interval; wherein    a first error count and interval equal to or less than a predetermined first error count and interval, combined with a second error count and interval greater than the predetermined second error count and interval, indicative of a possible parietal lobe function deficiency.    
   
   
       7 . A method for testing for a developmental language disorder in a subject, the method comprising the steps of: 
 displaying to the subject a first ordered array of objects having two features, a first feature and a second feature within a first and a second unitary dimension, respectively, the first dimension different from the second dimension;    prompting the subject to name the first and the second feature of each first-array object sequentially in order;    timing a first interval taken by the subject to complete naming the first and second features;    comparing the first interval with a predetermined first interval;    displaying to the subject a second ordered array of objects having two features, a third feature and a fourth feature within a third and a fourth unitary dimension, respectively, the third dimension different from the fourth dimension;    prompting the subject to name the third and the fourth feature of each second-array object sequentially in order;    timing a second interval taken by the subject to complete naming the third and fourth features;    comparing the second interval with a predetermined second interval, a second interval greater than the predetermined second interval, combined with a first interval greater than the predetermined first interval, indicative of a possible developmental language disorder.