METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DIAGNOSING HUMAN MOTOR ACTIVITY Russian patent published in 2000 - IPC

FIELD: medicine. SUBSTANCE: paths of joint motion of both eyes, head, and arm are recorded when testing for intermittently submitted visual stimuli. Latent periods, duration, maximal speed, and number of multiple saccadic motion of eyes, head and arm are measured. Then difference in latent periods, durations, and number of saccadic motions of eyes, as well as their maximal speed ratio are found. Characteristics obtained are compared with standard, and motor activities are diagnosed. In addition, bidirectional coordination of motion of eyes, head, and arm are investigated and motor activities are diagnosed by their relationship. Device implementing this method has visual stimulus submitting unit incorporating light-emitting diode targets which is connected to power supply and to LED push-button control console, as well as arm motion recording unit with slit receiving handle with index which is free to move in it. Handle is fixed to two moving pulleys; angular potentiometer is coaxially mounted relative to one of pulleys and connected to power supply. Device has eye angular position sensor, head angular position sensor connected to power supply and mounted on helmet which is connected to body by means of steel band and belts, amplifier unit incorporating ocular graphics signal amplifier, head-position signal amplifier, and arm-motion recorder signal amplifier, as well as analog-to- digital converter whose inputs are connected to output amplifiers and outputs, to computer with set of processing programs. Newly introduced in device are eye angular position sensor with associated ocular graphics signal amplifier, coupling unit incorporating differential amplifier whose inputs are connected to outputs of ocular graphics signal amplifiers, and additional channel of analog-to-digital converter whose input is connected to differential amplifier output. Introduced in visual stimulus submitting unit are five additional light-emitting diodes; reversing switch is mounted on control console for random submission of left-hand visual stimulus directed at same angles of vision of patient as that of right-hand one. EFFECT: enlarged functional capabilities, improved precision of diagnostics. 4 cl, 8 dwg, 4 ex