Cognitive health assessment for core cognitive functions

Abstract

An improved system for assessing cognitive function is described that uses tracked electrical activity of the brain of the individuals in response to a specific sequence of stimuli in generating data sets, which, for example, can be encapsulated as a data structure. The data sets can include tracked specific response types, at different times and amplitudes, including, but not limited to, event related potential signal components. Brainwave features including, event related potentials, are tracked in relation to both pre-attentive brain responses and consciously controlled attention responses.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for assessing cognitive health of a patient, the method comprising:
 performing a neurophysiological assessment of a cognitive health of a patient based on one or more behavioral responses;   obtaining electroencephalogram (EEG) data during the neurophysiological assessment;   determine ERP data by identifying one or more event-related potentials (ERPs) from the EEG data; and   analyzing the ERP data and comparing to an output of the neurophysiological assessment to verify or dispute a cognitive health finding of the neurophysiological assessment.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein analyzing the ERP data comprises performing one or more cognitive function tests to assess function of one or more cognitive attributes based on the ERP data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ERP data includes P300 responses. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ERP data includes P300 responses and are used to assess attention and concentration of the patient by performing and analyzing an auditory measure mismatch negativity (MMN) test. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ERP data is used to assess information processing function of the patient by performing and analyzing an auditory MMN test. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ERP data includes P300 responses and is used to assess working memory of the patient by performing and analyzing a continuous visual memory test (CVMT). 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a cognitive function assessment based on the ERP data is statistically compared to a control in healthy patients. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the control is an age or sex based control. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a cognitive function assessment based on the ERP data is compared to a baseline of the patient. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed any time post injury. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the method is performed beyond 72 hours post injury. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising repeating the steps in  claim 1  at a subsequent time to track recovery or changes over time. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed to assess any of: a brain injury, mental competency, elderly competency, neurodevelopmental disorder competency, brain damage, drug effects on brain function, and general brain health tracking. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 placing one or more external electrodes of a sensor apparatus on a head of the patient, the one or more electrodes being attached to a sensor apparatus configured for recording the EEG data from the brain of the patient.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the method is performed after a severe head injury. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed in patients that are unresponsive due to sensory or perceptual impairments, aphasia, motor impairments, subclinical seizure activity, pain, fluctuating, arousal, or fatigue. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining the EEG data, analyzing of the ERP data and comparing to the output of the neurophysiological assessment is performed by a cognitive health assessment system having a memory with programmable instructions recorded thereon, the instruction being configured for performing the steps in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the programmable instructions are further configured to perform one or more cognitive function tests on the patient. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the cognitive health assessment system includes headphones worn by the patient and the one or more cognitive function tests includes an auditory MMN test. 
     
     
         20 . A system for assessing cognitive health of a patient, the system comprising:
 a sensor apparatus connected to one or more external electrodes for placement on a head of the patient, the one or more electrodes configured for recording EEG data with respect to a brain of the patient;   one or more sensory output devices configured for providing sensory stimuli to the patient;   a stimulus presentation mechanism coupled to the one or more sensory output devices, the stimulus presentation mechanism configured for generating a series of programmed stimuli to the patient while the sensor apparatus records the EEG data of the patient as the patient receives the series of programmed stimuli, including stimuli associated with a neurophysiological assessment of a cognitive health of a patient based on one or more behavioral responses;   a waveform feature extractor configured to process the EEG data of the patient to determine ERP data by extracting one or more ERP responses to the series of programmed stimulus; and   a processor operably coupled to a memory having instructions recorded thereon that are configured to:
 control the one or more sensory output devices to provide the series of programmed stimuli to the patient to facilitate the neurophysiological assessment, wherein the programmed stimuli comprises a stimuli pattern of intermixed and/or repeated sensory stimuli; 
 record the EEG data triggered by the stimuli pattern, wherein the EEG data includes one or more ERP responses; 
 determine a cognitive health assessment of the patient based at least in part on an analysis of the ERP data and comparison to an output of the neurophysiological assessment. 
   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the ERP data includes P300 responses. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the ERP data includes P300 responses and are used to assess attention and concentration of the patient by performing and analyzing an auditory MMN test. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the ERP data is used to assess information processing function of the patient by performing and analyzing an auditory MMN test. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the ERP data includes P300 response and is used to assess working memory of the patient by performing and analyzing a CVMT test. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the sensory stimuli include any of:
 auditory tones, vibrations, olfactory, or visual stimuli.   
     
     
         26 . A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for controlling a cognitive health assessment system comprising: a sensor apparatus connected to one or more electrodes for placement on a head of the patient and configured for recording EEG data with respect to a brain of the patient during a neurophysiological assessment of a cognitive health of a patient based on a behavioral response, one or more sensory output devices configured for providing sensory stimuli to the patient, a stimulus presentation mechanism coupled to the one or more sensory output devices and configured for generating a series of programmed stimuli to the patient, and a waveform feature extractor configured to process the EEG data of the patient to extract one or ERP responses to the series of programmed stimulus, wherein the program, when executed by one or more processors of the system, causes the one or more processors to perform the method steps of  claim 1 .