Patent ID: 8868173
Filing Date: 2014-10-21
Classification: A61B,A61M,A61N

Abstract:
1. A method for assessing neural activation of a brain, comprising: sensing one or more bioelectrical signals from one or more electrodes in contact with or proximate the brain; measuring the amplitude of the one or more bioelectrical signals over a period of time; calculating a plurality of variance values from the amplitude of the one or more bioelectrical signals, each of the variance values of the plurality corresponding to the variance of the amplitude for a different interval of time of the period of time with respect to the other variance values of the plurality of variance values; and assessing the relative level of neural activation of an area of the brain based on the plurality of variance values, wherein the area of the brain is assessed to have a higher level of neural activation when the variance is higher as compared to the level of neural activation when the variance is lower and wherein sensing, measuring, calculating, and assessing are each performed at least in part by control circuitry; wherein assessing the relative level of neural activation of the area of the brain comprises estimating the functional synaptic volume of the area of the brain.