Evoked response testing system for neurological disorders

Abstract

A dyslexia screening system suitable for clinical use includes an integrated headset ( 10 ) that efficiently and conveniently performs an auditory evoked response (ERP) test by positioning electrodes ( 16 ) about the ears of the subject. An integral control module ( 12 ) automatically performs the test, providing simplified controls and indications to the clinician. A number of screening tests that are stored in the headset are periodically uploaded for billing, remote analysis and result reporting. A paradigm that characterizes testing performed for a subject along with the patient identification and/or patient demographics are stored in an associated fashion for later fusion and analyses with similar but not necessarily identically constructed ERP tests.

1 . An Evoked Response Potential (ERP) system, comprising: 
 a testing device positionable upon a subject's head having a signal electrode, a reference electrode and a stimulus producer; and    a test programmer operably configured to communicate a plurality of control administration parameters to the testing device for performing an evoked response test.    
     
     
         2 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the stimulus producer comprises a visual display device operably configured to produce a visual stimulus for performing a visual evoked response test.  
     
     
         3 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the stimulus producer comprises an auditory sound producer operatively configured to produce a sound stimulus for performing an auditory evoked response test.  
     
     
         4 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of control administration parameters are selected from a group consisting of a stimuli start time, a stimuli selection, a stimuli sequence, a failure determination, and sample mode.  
     
     
         5 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the test progranmmer is further operably configured to respond to a selection for a brainstem evoked response test.  
     
     
         6 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , further comprising a remote repository operatively configured to transmit control administration parameters to the test programmer, to store ERP test results from the test programmer and associated subject identification information and testing paradigm, and to perform ERP diagnostic analyses on the ERP test results.  
     
     
         7 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , further comprising an ERP sound synthesizer operatively configured to generate auditory stimulus files based upon configuration characteristics selected from a group consisting of acoustic frequency, time duration, stimuli sequence, and time warp, wherein time warp denotes a selected sound stimulus having a lengthened duration and an unchanged pitch or changed pitch with unchanged duration.  
     
     
         8 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , further comprising an ERP sound synthesizer operativley configured to generate auditory stimulus files based upon configuration characteristics selected from a group consisting of acoustic frequency, time duration, stimuli sequence, and time warp, wherein time warp denotes a selected sound stimulus having a lengthened duration and an unchanged pitch or changed pitch with unchanged duration.  
     
     
         9 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the test programmer further comprises: 
 a memory;    a paradigm logic library, a stimulus library database, and a program contained in memory; and    a controller operatively configured to access the memory to perform the program, the program operably configured to access a selected testing paradigm contained in the paradigm logic library, to access stimuli specified by the selected testing paradigm contained in the stimulus library database, to calculate sequence and interstimulus delays between selected stimuli in accordance with the selected testing paradigm, and to output a testing stream.    
     
     
         10 . The ERP system of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is further operatively configured to receive ERP test results, to store the ERP test results in association with subject identification information and selected testing paradigm.  
     
     
         11 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the testing device is further operatively configured to detect an artifact contained in a sensed test results, to access an epoch grouping of stimuli associated with the artifact, and to replay the associated epoch grouping.  
     
     
         12 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the testing device includes a headset registration associated with sensed testing results acquired by the testing device.  
     
     
         13 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the testing device further comprises a user input responsive to a manual input from the subject performed in response to a stimulus, the test programmer operatively configured to receive and store testing results in association with the manual inputs.  
     
     
         14 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , further comprising a repository data system and a graphical user interface operatively configured to access testing results associates with subject identification information and selected testing paradigms, to generate a display of a template of a stored data manipulation parameters, and to generate a display of automatic paradigm-specific grouping.  
     
     
         15 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , further comprising a repository data system and graphical user interface operatively configured to access ERP testing results associates with subject identification information and selected testing paradigms, to access a selected digital signal processing parameter, to access a selected ERP grouping criteria, to access an algebraic combination configuration, to calculate an algebraic combination of the ERP testing results, to pattern match the combined ERP test results against a neurological ERP model.  
     
     
         16 . The ERP system of  claim 15 , frrther comprising correlating subsequent neurological diagnoses associated with subject identification information and refining a selected neurological ERP model to correlate with ERP test results associated with the neurological diagnoses.  
     
     
         17 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , wherein the test programmer is further operatively configured to replay a stimulus step on the stimulus producer with a selected warp.  
     
     
         18 . The ERP system of  claim 1 , further comprising a user rights management system controlling access to the test programmer.