Method for processing brainwave signals

Abstract

A signal processing method and system combines multi-scale decomposition, such as wavelet, pre-processing together with a compression technique, such as an auto-associative artificial neural network, operating in the multi-scale decomposition domain for signal denoising and extraction. All compressions are performed in the decomposed domain. A reverse decomposition such as an inverse discrete wavelet transform is performed on the combined outputs from all the compression modules to recover a clean signal back in the time domain. A low-cost, non-drug, non-invasive, on-demand therapy braincap system and method are pharmaceutically nonintrusive to the body for the purpose of disease diagnosis, treatment therapy, and direct mind control of external devices and systems. It is based on recognizing abnormal brainwave signatures and intervenes at the earliest moment, using magnetic and/or electric stimulations to reset the brainwaves back to normality. The feedback system is self-regulatory and the treatment stops when the brainwaves return to normal. The braincap contains multiple sensing electrodes and microcoils; the microcoils are pairs of crossed microcoils or 3-axis triple crossed microcoils.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method for processing brainwave signals for treating a patient having a neurological disorder, mental disorder, or a combination thereof, the method comprising:
 measuring a brainwave signal from the patient, the measured brainwave signal containing noise;   denoising the brainwave signal to obtain a clean brainwave signal;   matching the clean brainwave signal to a database of brainwave signals for neurological or mental conditions or a combination of neurological and mental conditions to identify the patient's neurological or mental status or a combination of neurological and mental conditions; and   applying a therapeutic treatment to the patient based on the identified neurological or mental status or a combination of neurological and mental conditions.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of denoising comprises:
 performing an n-level decomposition of the brainwave signal into wavelet components of different scales to separate the signals from noise;   for each individual wavelet component among the wavelet components of different scales, inputting the individual wavelet component into a corresponding compression module to squeeze out the noise from the individual wavelet component in a decomposed domain, wherein the compression module is self-supervised and has been trained by creating an output behavior of the compression module that closely matches an input behavior of the compression module; and   performing an inverse decomposition on outputs from the compression modules to recover the clean brainwave signal in a time domain.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the therapeutic treatment comprises:
 applying the therapeutic treatment to the patient based on the identified neurological or mental status via a self-regulatory feedback system, wherein the self-regulatory feedback system stops the therapeutic treatment when the brainwave signal return approximately to normal.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the database of brainwaves signals includes sample brainwave signals for PTSD, depression, pain, epilepsy, ADHD, autistic, spectrum disorder, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, sleep disorder, schizophrenia, alcohol or drug craving, or anxiety or panic disorder for treatments. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of measuring the brainwave signal and the step of applying the therapeutic treatment are alternated for protection of ultra-sensitive measuring electronics. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the amplifiers for the signal collection such as the EEG amplifiers have a low slew rate, the low slew rate keeping the amplifiers from responding to higher slew rate of energetic pulses from the treatment. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient's neurological disorders or mental disorders or a combination of neurological and mental disorders are identified using Kohonen self-organizing map, vector quantization, Bayesian statistical calculation methodologies, or a meta-analysis combination thereof to increase accuracy of matching and to improve diagnosis accuracy. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient's neurological or mental status is identified for earlier diagnosis resulting in pre-emptive intervention and monitoring, resulting in improving a chance of recovery or containment of ailment. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein treatment components for performing the therapeutic treatment are identical in hardware, and each treatment component has a local lookup table to generate tailored waveforms by treating physicians to vary treatment for different disorders or for tailoring treatments to different individuals having the same disorders or different treatments at different sites simultaneously in a single treatment session having neurological inhibitions at certain sites and simultaneously having excitations at other locations with each site having different magnitudes of inhibitions and excitations. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic treatment is performed by an electronically controlled iontophoretic transdermal system or an electronically controlled morphine delivery system to adaptively control pain in real time based on the brainwave signal for detection of pain level. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic treatment together with diagnostic monitoring provide anesthesia adaptive to individual or cognitive enhancement. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the examination of neurological condition or mental condition or a combination of neurological and mental conditions is used for detection of deception and determining type of the deception. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic treatment comprises Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) or ear-point stimulation. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the therapeutic treatment is an on-demand therapy which stops when measured signals approximately match the normal signals in the database. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), or repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) or the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is used as localized diagnostic probe by probing or stimulating local sites to invoke responses to improve or to initialize diagnosis of regional dysfunctions are causes or triggering events for disorders or as an investigative tool for cognitive enhancement. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), or repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) or the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are to target different brain regions using different learning or analysis stimulations to speed up the overall learning or analysis process, for highly complex problems, including problems in national security intelligence, problems in business and educational sectors, or problems requiring a combination of different types of learning at different regions in the brain or for adaptively tailoring for any particular individuals. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), or repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) or the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are to target the brain craving regions for reduction of craving for food or cessation of drugs, alcohol and smoking habits 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic treatment is a hyperthermia treatment of body ailments, hyperthermia treatment of cancer by heat, the hyperthermia treatment including introducing nanomaterials with efficient magnetic or electric absorption properties to improve the focusing of heat at a targeted site. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic treatment is automatic using optimization theory to adaptively set desired controlling parameters so as to steer the measured output towards desired outputs. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the clean brainwave signal includes Electroencephalography (EEG) signal, infrared (IR) signal, magnetometer signal from alkali vapor magnetometer or superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), or signal from other sensor that can sense brain activities. 
     
     
         21 . A method for processing brainwave signals, the method comprising:
 measuring the brainwave signal from the person, the measured brainwave signal containing noise;   receiving a brainwave signal, the brainwave signal containing noise;   performing an n-level decomposition of the brainwave signal into wavelet components of different scales;   for each individual wavelet component among the wavelet components of different scales, inputting the individual wavelet component into a corresponding compression module to squeeze out the noise from the individual wavelet component in a decomposed domain, wherein the compression module is self-supervised and has been trained by creating an output behavior of the compression module that closely matches an input behavior of the compression module;   performing an inverse decomposition on outputs from the compression modules to recover the clean brainwave signal in a time domain; and   matching a clean brainwave signal obtained after denoising to a database of brainwave signals for neurological or mental conditions or a combination of neurological and mental conditions to identify the person's neurological or mental status or a combination of neurological and mental conditions.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 performing a dictation by recognizing textual data from the clean brainwave signal or brain-based video-game control derived from the person's neurological status or mental status or a combination of neurological and mental statuses.