Methods for physiological monitoring, training, exercise and regulation

Abstract

Computer executable software and device for guiding brain activity training comprising: logic which takes data corresponding to activity measurements of one or more internal voxels of a brain and determines one or more members of the group consisting of: a) what next stimulus to communicate to the subject, b) what next behavior to instruct the subject to perform, c) when a subject is to be exposed to a next stimulus, d) when the subject is to perform a next behavior, e) one or more activity metrics computed from the measured activity, f) a spatial pattern computed from the measured activity, g) a location of a region of interest computed from the measured activity, h) performance targets that a subject is to achieve computed from the measured activity, i) a performance measure of a subject's success computed from the measured activity, j) a subject's position relative to an activity measurement instrument; and logic for communicating information based on the determinations to the subject in substantially real time relative to when the activity is measured.

1 . A method comprising:
 taking brain activity measurements from one or more regions internal to a brain of a subject;   using a computer executable logic for determining information based upon said brain activity measurements; and   using a computer executable logic for communicating said information to said subject in substantially real time.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said one or more regions internal to the brain comprise one or more voxels. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said one or more regions internal to the brain comprise regions of interest. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said taking brain activity measurements are made using an fMRI apparatus. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising pre-training said subject. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further training said subject to modulate brain activity without taking brain activity measurements. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said taking brain activity measurements are made using an apparatus capable of taking measurements from one or more internal voxels without substantial contamination of the measurements by activity from regions intervening between the internal voxels being measured and where the measurement apparatus collects the data. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said information comprises an activity metric. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said activity measurements are recorded. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the region of interest has a primary function of releasing a neuromodulatory substance. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said one or more regions internal to said brain comprise a scan volume. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said one or more regions internal to said brain comprise a spatial pattern. 
     
     
         13 . A method of treating a condition in a subject, wherein said condition is associated with activity of one or more regions internal to the brain of said subject comprising: training said subject to modulate said activity using fMRI. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said training comprises training said subject to increase the level of said activity or decrease the level of said activity. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said training comprises training said subject to change the activity from a first activity metric to a second activity metric. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said one or more regions have a primary function of releasing a neuromodulatory substance. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising communicating information based upon activity measurements made by said fMRI to said subject in substantially real time. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said one or more regions has abnormally increased or decreased activity due to an injury or disease.