The Need

Perception is the biological process that allows humans to differentiate external stimuli such as shapes and colors. Certain diseases affect perceptual sensitivity, usually resulting in a slow but measurable degrade in skill that correlates with the progression of the disease. Existing methods to test perceptual sensitivity only estimate the average perceptual sensitivity in multiple trials or relatively long time intervals, and lead to biased and imprecise estimates of the time course of perceptual sensitivity change. Until now, researchers and medical personnel have not been able to precisely and efficiently quantify the time course of perceptual sensitivity changes.

The Technology

The inventor group has developed has developed a novel way to measure the time course of degradation of a patient’s perceptual sensitivity due to disease. This method accomplishes two things: precise and efficient measurement of the time course of perceptual sensitivity change, and collection of diagnostic information about the progression of or treatment effects on diseases characterized by changes in perceptual sensitivity. Precise and efficient measurement of the time course of perceptual sensitivity change in behavior performance is not only essential for understanding the underlying brain mechanisms for such changes in basic research, but also provides diagnostic information about disease progression and treatment effects in clinical settings. This test has numerous advantages over existing methods, such as the inclusion of both a time and accuracy factor.

Commercial Applications

• Cognitive Rehabilitation
• Medical Diagnostics
• Disease Monitoring

Benefits/Advantages

• Accurate and efficient testing.
• Tracks disease progression based on perceptual sensitivity.
• Provides analysis of the collected diagnostic data for each patient.