Patent ID: 7645140

Claim:
A method for assessing the navigational capacity in a human subject, comprising: taking the subject on a course of a predetermined path in a natural or naturalistic virtual environment, wherein said path comprises a plurality of turning points; conducting a navigation test comprising asking the subject questions that compose items on a plurality of navigation subtests concerning said path and environment; recording with a computer the subject's response to said questions as navigation subtest scores and the sum of the subtest scores as a total navigation test score, thus transforming the subject's response to said questions that are representative of a navigation capacity into navigation subtest scores and a total navigation test score; analyzing with a computer said test scores obtained in an identified patient or subject population to create an analyzed result that characterizes the navigation capacities of that population, thus transforming said subtest scores into analyzed results that are representative of navigation capacity, and correlating said analyzed results with a profile for a neurological disorder; and assessing with a computer the subject's navigational capacity using said analyzed result, wherein navigational capacity includes the variety of abilities defined by the plurality of navigation subtests, wherein said navigation test comprises a route learning subtest comprising initiating to retake the subject on a subject-directed course of said path; while retaking the subject on said path asking the subject whether the subject had previously gone left, right or forward at each of said plurality of turning points; recording the subject's response to said asking; determining whether said response is correct; if the subject's response concerning each of said turning points is incorrect, then correcting the subject's response to maintain the integrity of said path; and continuing to retake the subject on said path, while continuing said asking, said recording and said determining until said subject has completed said path.