A diagnostic device, diagnostic equipment and diagnostic system for cognitive impairment

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a diagnostic device, a diagnostic apparatus, and a diagnostic system for cognitive impairment. The diagnostic device includes an acquisition module configured to acquire near-infrared data of a target region of the cerebral cortex of a subject in a resting state collected via at least a pair of detection elements, and a pair of detection elements are arranged to form a channel; an extraction module configured to extract a diagnostic index based on the near-infrared data, the diagnostic index including at least one of brain region connection strength and inter-channel connection strength, the brain region connection strength at least including brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe, and the inter-channel connection strength at least including inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe; and a prediction module configured to predict the cognitive impairment status of the subject based on the diagnostic index. The inter-channel connection strength between 5 pairs of channels formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe has significant specificity and recognition, improving the clinical diagnostic efficiency and accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment, and more particularly, to a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment, a diagnostic apparatus and a diagnostic system thereof. Background Art

[0002] Cognitive impairment includes mild cognitive impairment and dementia, etc. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered to be a pre-dementia state, and the risk of its progression to dementia is increased by 10 times. However, almost one-third of patients with mild cognitive impairment tend to stabilize or even recover normal cognitive function after a preliminary clinical diagnosis. Therefore, accurately predicting the progression of dementia is a worldwide challenge.

[0003] Currently, cognitive tests are often used clinically to diagnose cognitive impairment. However, such cognitive tests are greatly affected by factors such as educational level and language ability, and it is difficult to accurately diagnose the condition of cognitive impairment. Moreover, it requires professional doctors to operate, consuming a large amount of manpower and material resources. Therefore, there is currently no convenient and effective method for diagnosing cognitive impairment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure is provided to solve the above problems existing in the prior art. There is a need for a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment, a diagnostic apparatus and a diagnostic system thereof, which use near-infrared spectroscopy technology to obtain near-infrared data of a target area of the cerebral cortex of a subject at rest, so as to diagnose the cognitive condition of the subject. This method only requires the near-infrared data of the subject's brain in a resting state for a short time to obtain an accurate diagnosis result of the cognitive condition, without requiring the subject to perform tasks for brain activation, taking less time, being unaffected by the subjective factors of the subject, and being simple and convenient. It provides a new means for the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment, and can improve the clinical diagnosis efficiency. In addition, this method is less restricted by the environment, does not harm the subject, and is simple and convenient to operate. Secondly, based on the diagnostic indicators extracted from the near-infrared data, the diagnostic indicators include at least one of the brain region connection strength and the inter-channel connection strength. The brain region connection strength at least includes the brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe and occipital lobe, and the inter-channel connection strength at least includes the inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe. For distinguishing between cognitive impairment patients and healthy people, it can have significant specificity and recognition, and can help clinicians effectively diagnose the cognitive condition of the subject, improving the clinical diagnosis efficiency and accuracy.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment, which is configured to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of a subject. The diagnostic device includes an acquisition module configured to acquire near-infrared data of a target region of the cerebral cortex of the subject at rest, which is collected via at least one pair of detection elements, wherein a pair of detection elements are arranged to form a channel; an extraction module configured to extract diagnostic metrics based on the near-infrared data, the diagnostic metrics including at least one of brain region connection strength and inter-channel connection strength, the brain region connection strength at least including brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe, and the inter-channel connection strength at least including inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe; and a prediction module configured to predict the cognitive impairment status of the subject based on the diagnostic metrics.

[0006] In some embodiments, the inter-channel connection strength is at least one inter-channel connection strength determined by at least 1 pair of channels, each pair of channels in the at least 1 pair of channels including a first channel and a second channel, the first channel being formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the second channel being formed corresponding to the left occipital lobe.

[0007] In some embodiments, there are multiple first channels and multiple second channels. The multiple first channels are respectively formed corresponding to multiple first regions scattered in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the multiple second channels are respectively formed corresponding to multiple second regions scattered in the left occipital lobe.

[0008] In some embodiments, the multiple second regions are arranged to be located near the longitudinal fissure of the brain.

[0009] In some embodiments, the at least 1 pair of channels is 5 pairs of channels, and the inter-channel connection strength is at least 5 inter-channel connection strengths determined by the 5 pairs of channels.

[0010] In some embodiments, the 5 pairs of channels include the 5 pairs of channels: channel 17-channel 59, channel 17-channel 57, channel 16-channel 57, channel 15-channel 59, and channel 16-channel 61. The reference channel coordinates of channel 15 are (34.39, 61.35, 4.52), the reference channel coordinates of channel 16 are (37.80, 49.44, 28.13), the reference channel coordinates of channel 17 are (43.29, 55.84, 3.27), the reference channel coordinates of channel 57 are (-45.46, -68.73, 48.80), the reference channel coordinates of channel 59 are (-29.56, -78.95, 45.60), and the reference channel coordinates of channel 61 are (-16.61, -87.10, 37.35). The actual channel coordinates of each channel can have a deviation within ±15 in the X and Y directions relative to its reference channel coordinates, and can have a deviation within ±25 in the Z direction relative to its reference channel. Among them, the reference channel coordinates of each channel are determined based on the standard brain model ICBM152.

[0011] In some embodiments, the brain region connection strength includes at least one of the whole-brain representative connection strength, the inter-brain-region connection strength, and the intra-brain-region connection strength; the whole-brain representative connection strength is determined based on the representative value of the connection strength between all channels; the inter-brain-region connection strength is determined based on the representative value of the connection strength between the channels corresponding to each brain region in at least one brain region pair of the first group of brain region pairs, and the first group of brain region pairs includes the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the right frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the left frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the left frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the right frontal lobe and the left inferior parietal lobule, and the right frontal lobe and the right occipital lobe; the intra-brain-region connection strength is determined based on the representative value of the connection strength between the channels corresponding to at least one brain region in the second group of brain regions, and the second group of brain regions includes the left inferior parietal lobule, the left occipital lobe, and the right occipital lobe.

[0012] In some embodiments, the diagnostic index is at least one or a combination of at least several of the connection strength between the channels of the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-brain-region connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-brain-region connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the inter-brain-region connection strength between the left frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-brain-region connection strength between the left frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the inter-brain-region connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left inferior parietal lobule, the inter-brain-region connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the right occipital lobe, the intra-brain-region connection strength of the left inferior parietal lobule, the intra-brain-region connection strength of the left occipital lobe, and the intra-brain-region connection strength of the right occipital lobe.

[0013] In some embodiments, the inter-brain-region connection strength is the inter-brain-region connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment, which is used to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of a subject. The diagnostic device at least includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer-executable instructions, and when the processor executes the computer-executable instructions, the following operations are performed: obtaining near-infrared data of a target region of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state collected via at least a pair of detection elements, wherein a pair of detection elements are arranged to form a channel; extracting diagnostic indicators based on the near-infrared data, the diagnostic indicators including at least one of brain region connection strength and inter-channel connection strength, the brain region connection strength at least including brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe and occipital lobe, and the inter-channel connection strength at least including inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe; predicting the cognitive impairment status of the subject based on the diagnostic indicators.

[0015] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a diagnostic system for cognitive impairment, which is used to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of a subject. The diagnostic system includes a near-infrared spectroscopy detection device and a diagnostic device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In the drawings which are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. The drawings generally illustrate various embodiments by way of example and not limitation, and are used together with the description and the claims to explain the disclosed embodiments. Where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and are not intended to be an exhaustive or exclusive embodiment of the device or method.

[0017] Figure 1 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a verification channel for verifying the diagnostic effect of cognitive impairment of a channel example formed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a verification channel for verifying the diagnostic effect of cognitive impairment of a channel example corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe formed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 6 A flowchart showing the operations performed by a processor of a diagnostic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure shall have the ordinary meanings understood by those of ordinary skill in the field to which the present disclosure pertains. Words such as "including" or "comprising" and the like mean that the elements or objects appearing before this word cover the elements or objects enumerated after this word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects.

[0025] In order to keep the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure clear and concise, detailed descriptions of known functions and known components are omitted in the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a diagnostic device for cognitive impairment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The diagnostic device is used to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of a subject, especially for assisting in diagnosing the mild cognitive impairment status. As Figure 1 shown, the diagnostic device 100 includes an acquisition module 101, an extraction module 102, and a prediction module 103. Among them, the acquisition module 101 is configured to acquire near-infrared data of a target region of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state collected via at least a pair of detection elements, where a pair of detection elements are arranged to form a channel. In some embodiments, the target region may include brain regions such as the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe on both the left and right sides of the cerebral cortex. In some embodiments, the detection elements may be transmitting probes and / or receiving probes, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, a pair of detection elements includes a transmitting probe and a receiving probe, and a pair of detection elements can acquire near-infrared data of one channel. When acquiring near-infrared data, a transmitting probe of a near-infrared spectroscopy detection device may be placed on the head of the subject, which is used to emit an optical signal to the head, and a receiving probe may be placed at a certain distance (for example, 3 cm) from the transmitting probe to receive the optical signal emitted from the scalp. The optical signal is converted into blood oxygen data through calculation and acquired by the acquisition module 101, that is, the near-infrared data of the target region of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state is obtained.

[0027] Figure 2Shows a schematic diagram of a channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, as Figure 2 shown, S1 and D1 can be arranged in pairs for a certain area P1 in the left occipital lobe. As an example, Figure 2 S1 and D1 in are exactly arranged within the left occipital lobe, but this is only an example. In some embodiments, at least one of S1 and D1 can be arranged outside the left occipital lobe, but is still considered to be arranged in pairs for a certain area in the left occipital lobe.

[0028] For example, S1 can be a transmitting probe for transmitting optical signals, and D1 can be a receiving probe for receiving optical signals. Then, it can be considered that the transmitting probe S1 and the receiving probe D1 form a channel corresponding to the area P1 in the left occipital lobe, so that the near-infrared data collected by this pair of probes S1 and D1 via this channel reflects (characterizes) the physiological state of the cerebral cortex in area P1. For easy display, the channel can also be marked at area P1.

[0029] Similarly, the receiving probe D1 can also be paired with another transmitting probe S2 and arranged in pairs for another area P2, forming another channel corresponding to area P2, so that the near-infrared data collected by this pair of probes S2 and D1 via this channel reflects (characterizes) the physiological state of the cerebral cortex in area P2. For easy display, the channel can also be marked at area P2.

[0030] Using near-infrared spectroscopy technology to obtain the near-infrared data of the target area of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state for diagnosing the cognitive status of the subject. This method only requires the near-infrared data of the subject's brain in the resting state within a short time to obtain an accurate diagnosis result of the cognitive status, without requiring the subject to perform tasks for brain activation, taking less time, being unaffected by the subjective factors of the subject himself, and being simple and convenient. It provides a new means for the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment and can improve the clinical diagnosis efficiency. In addition, this method is less restricted by the environment, does no harm to the subject, and is simple and convenient to operate.

[0031] In some embodiments, the extraction module 102 is configured to extract diagnostic indicators based on the near-infrared data. The diagnostic indicators include at least one of the brain region connection strength and the inter-channel connection strength. The brain region connection strength at least includes the brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe. The inter-channel connection strength at least includes the inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe. Specifically, the near-infrared data recorded by each channel includes oxyhemoglobin (HbO), deoxyhemoglobin (HbR), and total hemoglobin (HbT). Since the signal-to-noise ratio of the HbO signal is generally higher than that of the HbR, it is preferred to use the HbO signal to calculate the diagnostic indicators.

[0032] The applicant uses Figure 3The channels for verification shown below were used to conduct a verification experiment on the diagnostic effect of the channel examples according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 3 shown, 22 transmitting probes and 31 receiving probes were arranged in the head region of the subject, and 71 verification channels were correspondingly formed for 10 regions including bilateral prefrontal lobes, medial prefrontal lobes, bilateral temporal lobes, superior parietal lobules, bilateral inferior parietal lobules, and bilateral occipital lobes. Note that the channels according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be only a very limited part of these 71 verification channels; here, the term "verification channels" is specifically used to distinguish from the actual "channels" in the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] The applicant used Figure 3 the formation arrangement of the 71 verification channels shown below to evaluate the performance of the inter-channel connection strength (as a diagnostic index) of the paired channels formed according to the arrangements of the various embodiments of the present disclosure in predicting the cognitive impairment status of the subject, especially the specificity and recognition in predicting the cognitive impairment status of the subject compared to the inter-channel connection strength (as a diagnostic index) of other paired channels among these 71 verification channels.

[0034] The following is an example of the calculation method of the inter-channel connection strength of paired channels.

[0035] First, the near-infrared data obtained by a pair of detection elements forming the pair of channels can be preprocessed. Specifically, the preprocessing may include, for example, using an interpolation spline algorithm to remove motion artifacts in the experimental data, using a band-pass filter of 0.01 - 0.1 HZ to remove physiological noise caused by heartbeat and respiration, etc. Here, the preprocessing method is only an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Then, the Pearson correlation coefficient r of the paired channels can be calculated according to the following formula (1), and the Pearson correlation coefficient r can be used as the inter-channel connection strength of the pair of channels:

[0036]

[0037] where X i and Y i respectively represent the time series of channel X and channel Y, and respectively represent the means of the time series X i and Y i , and n represents the length of the time series.

[0038] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the inter-channel connection strength used at least includes the inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe, and it is only required that the formed paired channels can obtain such inter-channel connection strength information. As an example, the inter-channel connection strength can be at least one inter-channel connection strength determined by at least 1 pair of channels. That is to say, the inter-channel connection strength of as few as one pair of channels can be used as a diagnostic index to predict the cognitive impairment status of the subject.

[0039] In some embodiments, each pair of channels in at least 1 pair of channels includes a first channel and a second channel. The first channel is formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, so that the near-infrared data collected by the detection elements arranged to form the first channel can characterize the blood oxygen change of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The second channel is formed corresponding to the left occipital lobe, so that the near-infrared data collected by the detection elements arranged to form the second channel can characterize the blood oxygen change of the left occipital lobe. The applicant compared and verified the inter-channel connection strength of other paired channels in 71 verification channels with the inter-channel connection strength of the first channel and the second channel. The verification confirmed that, compared with the healthy population, the inter-channel connection strength of the first channel formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the second channel formed corresponding to the left occipital lobe has significant specificity and recognition. Based on this, at least one inter-channel connection strength determined by at least 1 pair of channels formed as a diagnostic index can accurately and reliably diagnose the cognitive status of the subject, which is beneficial to improving the clinical diagnosis efficiency and accuracy.

[0040] The first channel and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can adopt various corresponding relationships, and the second channel and the left occipital lobe can also adopt various corresponding relationships. As pointed out above, in the case of minimizing the number of channels as much as possible, only a single first channel can be formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and correspondingly, only a single second channel can be formed corresponding to the left occipital lobe, but it is not limited to this.

[0041] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4As shown, there can be multiple first channels and multiple second channels. The multiple first channels can be formed corresponding to multiple first regions scattered in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the multiple second channels are formed corresponding to multiple second regions scattered in the left occipital lobe. The applicant paired each channel formed corresponding to different regions of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and each channel formed corresponding to different regions of the left occipital lobe among the 71 verification channels and conducted a verification experiment. It was confirmed that there are such scattered regions in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe respectively, such that the paired channels formed corresponding to such scattered regions in these two parts have further significant specificity and recognition in predicting the cognitive impairment status of the subject compared to the paired channels formed corresponding to other regions in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe. Thus, by arranging detection elements only corresponding to these scattered regions and then forming corresponding paired channels, the corresponding inter-channel connection strength can be obtained as a diagnostic indicator. Therefore, while significantly reducing the number of channels, the accuracy of diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of the subject can be further ensured. Note that the multiple first regions can be scattered throughout the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or can be limited to only a certain part, and the latter can further reduce the number of channels.

[0042] In some embodiments, the multiple second regions are arranged to be located near the longitudinal fissure of the brain. The inventor found that for a subject with a cognitive impairment status, there is a significant difference in the inter-channel connection strength between the second channels formed corresponding to the multiple second regions near the longitudinal fissure of the brain and the first channels formed on the multiple first regions corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to healthy people. Therefore, arranging the second regions at the position near the longitudinal fissure of the left occipital lobe can ensure the accuracy of diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of the subject through a very small number of channel pairs without covering the entire left occipital lobe.

[0043] In some embodiments, at least 1 pair of channels is 5 pairs of channels, and the inter-channel connection strength is at least 5 inter-channel connection strengths determined by the 5 pairs of channels. The applicant's research found that there is a highly significant difference in the inter-channel connection strength between the 5 pairs of channels formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe in a subject with a cognitive impairment status compared to healthy people. Thus, using it as a diagnostic indicator for cognitive impairment has a high diagnostic accuracy.

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of these 5 pairs of channels is shown. As Figure 4As shown, the five pairs of channels may include the five pairs of channels: channel 17-channel 59, channel 17-channel 57, channel 16-channel 57, channel 15-channel 59, and channel 16-channel 61. Specifically, the reference channel coordinates of channel 15 are (34.39, 61.35, 4.52), the reference channel coordinates of channel 16 are (37.80, 49.44, 28.13), the reference channel coordinates of channel 17 are (43.29, 55.84, 3.27), the reference channel coordinates of channel 57 are (-45.46, -68.73, 48.80), the reference channel coordinates of channel 59 are (-29.56, -78.95, 45.60), and the reference channel coordinates of channel 61 are (-16.61, -87.10, 37.35). The actual channel coordinates of each channel can have a deviation within ±15 mm in the X and Y directions relative to its reference channel coordinates, and can have a deviation within ±25 mm in the Z direction relative to its reference channel. Among them, the reference channel coordinates of each channel are determined based on the standard brain model ICBM152. Each channel corresponding to the five pairs of channels formed by the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe has its own reference channel coordinates, and each pair of channels can achieve a high diagnostic accuracy rate within the deviation range corresponding to the reference channel coordinates of each channel. The applicant has found through research that the inter-channel connection strength between the above five pairs of channels corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe has significant specificity and recognition for distinguishing cognitive impairment patients from healthy people, and can help clinicians effectively diagnose the cognitive status of the subjects, improving the clinical diagnosis efficiency and accuracy.

[0045] In addition to or additionally to the inter-channel connection strength, the brain region connection strength can also be used as a diagnostic index, and the brain region connection strength at least includes the brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe.

[0046] In some embodiments, the brain region connection strength includes at least one of the whole brain representative connection strength, the inter-brain region connection strength, and the intra-brain region connection strength. The whole brain representative connection strength is determined based on the representative value of all inter-channel connection strengths. In some embodiments, the whole brain representative connection strength can be the whole brain average connection strength. At this time, the average value of the inter-channel connection strengths of all channels corresponding to the 10 regions of the bilateral prefrontal lobe, medial prefrontal lobe, bilateral temporal lobe, superior parietal lobule, bilateral inferior parietal lobule, and bilateral occipital lobe can be used as the whole brain average connection strength of the subject. The applicant has found through research that the whole brain average connection strength of cognitive impairment patients is lower than that of healthy people, which indicates that cognitive impairment diseases lead to a decrease in the overall information exchange level between various parts of the cerebral cortex and a weakening of the collaborative ability of various brain regions. Therefore, using the whole brain average connection strength as a diagnostic index can effectively diagnose the cognitive status of the subject.

[0047] The connection strength between brain regions is determined based on the representative value of the inter-channel connection strength between the channels corresponding to each brain region in at least one pair of brain regions in the first group of brain region pairs. The first group of brain region pairs includes the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the right frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the left frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the left frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the right frontal lobe and the left inferior parietal lobule, and the right frontal lobe and the right occipital lobe. In some embodiments, the connection strength between two brain regions may be the mean of the connection strengths between the channels included in these two brain regions. In some embodiments, at least one of the inter-channel connection strengths between the channel pairs corresponding to the six pairs of brain regions, namely the right frontal lobe - left occipital lobe, right frontal lobe - superior parietal lobule, left frontal lobe - left occipital lobe, left frontal lobe - superior parietal lobule, right frontal lobe - left inferior parietal lobule, and right frontal lobe - right occipital lobe, may be used as a diagnostic indicator. Through the applicant's research, it is found that for patients with cognitive impairment, the inter-channel connection strengths (as an example of the connection strength between brain regions) between the channel pairs corresponding to these six pairs of brain regions are all significantly lower than those of healthy people. Therefore, using such a connection strength between brain regions as a diagnostic indicator can effectively diagnose the cognitive status of the subject being examined.

[0048] In some embodiments, the connection strength between brain regions used as a diagnostic indicator can be further refined to the connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe. Through the applicant's experiments, it is confirmed that the connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe alone can produce a significant difference between patients with cognitive impairment and healthy people. Thus, while streamlining the arrangement of the detection elements (and thus significantly reducing the number of channels between brain regions), it is possible to ensure the accuracy rate of the clinical diagnosis of cognitive impairment.

[0049] The connection strength within a brain region is determined based on the representative value of the inter-channel connection strength between the channels corresponding to at least one brain region in the second group of brain regions. The second group of brain regions includes the left inferior parietal lobule, the left occipital lobe, and the right occipital lobe. In some embodiments, the connection strength within a brain region may be determined according to the average value of the inter-channel connection strengths between the channels corresponding to at least one of the brain regions of the left inferior parietal lobule, the left occipital lobe, and the right occipital lobe. Through the applicant's research, it is found that the connection strength within the brain regions of the left inferior parietal lobule, the left occipital lobe, and the right occipital lobe of patients with cognitive impairment is lower than that of healthy people. Therefore, using the connection strength within the brain regions of these three brain regions, namely the left inferior parietal lobule, the left occipital lobe, and the right occipital lobe, as a diagnostic indicator can effectively diagnose the cognitive status of the subject being examined, thereby improving the accuracy rate of clinical diagnosis.

[0050] In some embodiments, the diagnostic index is at least one or a combination of at least several of the inter-channel connection strength between the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the inter-regional connection strength between the left frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-regional connection strength between the left frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left inferior parietal lobule, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the right occipital lobe, the intra-regional connection strength within the left inferior parietal lobule, the intra-regional connection strength within the left occipital lobe, and the intra-regional connection strength within the right occipital lobe.

[0051] In some embodiments, the prediction module 103 is configured to predict the cognitive impairment status of the subject based on the diagnostic index. For the classification model, for example, a support vector machine classification model, a neural network model, a binary tree classification model, etc. can be selected, and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations thereon.

[0052] For the establishment of the classification model, the support vector machine classification model is taken as an example for illustration.

[0053] First, a plane can be assumed to separate two types of samples, A and B, where the samples of type A are the data of cognitive impairment patients and the samples of type B are the data of healthy people. Then, the distance from each feature point of the two types of samples to this plane is calculated, and thus the normal vector of this plane is adjusted step by step.

[0054] Specifically, the feature vector can be calculated for each dimension detection index in the two types of samples, and this feature vector can be used as the normal vector of the separation plane for this dimension index. Similarly, the normal vectors of the separation planes corresponding to each dimension index can be calculated, and these plane normal vectors are iteratively combined linearly to obtain a comprehensive normal vector suitable for separating all dimension indexes, ultimately achieving the maximum vertical distance between the samples closest to the hyperplane in the two types of samples. At the same time, the misclassification rate of this plane is evaluated through the marking of the sample type (A and B). In this way, the hyperplane is solved until the minimum misclassification rate and the maximum interval between the two types of data are achieved, and the finally obtained hyperplane can be used as the optimal hyperplane, and this optimal hyperplane can effectively distinguish the data in the training set.

[0055] Figure 5 The structural schematic diagram of the diagnostic device for cognitive impairment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, the diagnostic device for cognitive impairment is used to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of the subject, such as Figure 5 shown, the diagnostic device 400 includes at least a processor 401 and a memory 402. The memory 402 stores computer-executable instructions, such as Figure 6As shown, when the processor 401 executes computer-executable instructions, it starts from step S501 to obtain near-infrared data of the target area of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state collected via at least a pair of detection elements, where a pair of detection elements are arranged to form a channel. Step S502. Extract diagnostic indicators based on the near-infrared data. The diagnostic indicators include at least one of the brain region connection strength and the inter-channel connection strength. The brain region connection strength at least includes the brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe. The inter-channel connection strength at least includes the inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe. Step S503. Predict the cognitive impairment status of the subject based on the diagnostic indicators. The diagnostic device 400 uses near-infrared spectroscopy technology to obtain near-infrared data of the target area of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state to diagnose the cognitive status of the subject. This method only requires the near-infrared data of the subject's brain in the resting state within a short time to obtain an accurate diagnosis result of the cognitive status, without requiring the subject to perform tasks for brain activation, taking less time, being unaffected by the subjective factors of the subject himself, and being simple and convenient. It provides a new means for the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment and can improve the clinical diagnosis efficiency. This method is less restricted by the environment, does not harm the subject, and is simple and convenient to operate. Secondly, the diagnostic indicators extracted based on the near-infrared data, especially the inter-channel connection strength between 5 pairs of channels formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, have significant specificity and recognition for distinguishing between cognitive impairment patients and healthy people, and can help clinicians effectively diagnose the cognitive status of the subject, improving the clinical diagnosis efficiency and accuracy.

[0056] The processor 401 can be a processing device including more than one general-purpose processing device, such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. More specifically, the processor 401 can be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor running other instruction sets, or a processor running a combination of instruction sets. The processor 401 can also be more than one dedicated processing device, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a system-on-chip (SoC), etc. The processor 401 can be communicatively coupled to the memory 402 and be configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored thereon.

[0057] The memory 402 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), other types of random access memory (RAM), a flash drive or other forms of flash memory, a cache, a register, a static memory, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical memory, a cassette tape or other magnetic storage device, or any other possible non-transitory medium used to store information or instructions that can be accessed by a computer device, etc.

[0058] In some embodiments, a diagnostic system for cognitive impairment is also disclosed for assisting in the diagnosis of the cognitive impairment status of a subject. The diagnostic system includes a near-infrared spectroscopy detection device and a diagnostic device. The near-infrared spectroscopy detection device in the diagnostic system can obtain the near-infrared data of the target area of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state based on near-infrared spectroscopy technology to diagnose the cognitive status of the subject. This method only requires the near-infrared data of the subject's brain in the resting state within a short period of time to obtain an accurate diagnosis result of the cognitive status, without requiring the subject to perform tasks for brain activation, taking less time, being unaffected by the subjective factors of the subject itself, and being simple and convenient, providing a new means for the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment and being able to improve the clinical diagnosis efficiency. In addition, this method is less restricted by the environment, does not harm the subject, and is simple and convenient to operate. Secondly, the diagnostic indicators extracted based on the near-infrared data, especially the inter-channel connection strength between 5 pairs of channels formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, have significant specificity and recognition for distinguishing between cognitive impairment patients and healthy people, and can help clinicians effectively diagnose the cognitive status of the subject, improving the clinical diagnosis efficiency and accuracy.

[0059] Moreover, although exemplary embodiments have been described herein, the scope includes any and all embodiments based on the present disclosure having equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., schemes that cross various embodiments), adaptations or alterations. The elements in the claims will be broadly interpreted based on the language used in the claims and are not limited to the examples described in this specification or during the implementation of the present disclosure, and the examples will be interpreted as non-exclusive. Therefore, this specification and the examples are intended to be considered only as examples, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

[0060] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. For example, those of ordinary skill in the art may use other embodiments when reading the above description. Additionally, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to simplify the disclosure. This should not be construed as an intention that features of the disclosure not claimed are necessary for any claim. On the contrary, the subject matter of the present invention may be less than all of the features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description as examples or embodiments, where each claim stands on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that these embodiments may be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the present invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to which these claims are entitled.

[0061] The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications or equivalent replacements within the essence and protection scope of the present invention, and such modifications or equivalent replacements should also be regarded as falling within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A diagnostic device for cognitive impairment, which is used to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of a subject, and is characterized in that, The diagnostic device includes: An acquisition module configured to acquire near-infrared data of a target area of the cerebral cortex of a subject at rest collected via at least one pair of detection elements, wherein a pair of detection elements are arranged to form a channel, and it is not necessary for the subject to perform a task for brain activation; An extraction module configured to extract diagnostic indicators based on the near-infrared data, the diagnostic indicators including brain region connection strength and inter-channel connection strength, or including inter-channel connection strength, the brain region connection strength at least including brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe and occipital lobe, and the inter-channel connection strength at least including inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left occipital lobe; Wherein, the inter-channel connection strength is at least one inter-channel connection strength determined by at least 1 pair of channels, each pair of channels in the at least 1 pair of channels includes a first channel and a second channel, the first channel is formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the second channel is formed corresponding to the left occipital lobe; The brain region connection strength includes at least one of whole-brain representative connection strength, inter-brain-region connection strength and intra-brain-region connection strength; the whole-brain representative connection strength is determined based on the representative value of all inter-channel connection strengths; The inter-brain-region connection strength is determined based on the representative value of the inter-channel connection strength between the channels respectively corresponding to each brain region in at least one brain region pair of the first group of brain region pairs; The intra-brain-region connection strength is determined based on the representative value of the inter-channel connection strength between each of the channels respectively corresponding to at least one brain region in the second group of brain regions; A prediction module configured to predict the cognitive impairment status of the subject based on the diagnostic indicators.

2. The diagnostic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple first channels, and there are multiple second channels. The multiple first channels are respectively formed corresponding to multiple first regions scattered in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the multiple second channels are respectively formed corresponding to multiple second regions scattered in the left occipital lobe.

3. The diagnostic device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The multiple second regions are arranged to be located near the cerebral longitudinal fissure.

4. The diagnostic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least 1 pair of channels are 5 pairs of channels, and the inter-channel connection strength is at least 5 inter-channel connection strengths determined by the 5 pairs of channels.

5. The diagnostic device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The 5 pairs of channels include the 5 pairs of channels: channel 17-channel 59, channel 17-channel 57, channel 16-channel 57, channel 15-channel 59, and channel 16-channel 61. The reference channel coordinates of channel 15 are (34.39, 61.35, 4.52), the reference channel coordinates of channel 16 are (37.80, 49.44, 28.13), the reference channel coordinates of channel 17 are (43.29, 55.84, 3.27), the reference channel coordinates of channel 57 are (-45.46, -68.73, 48.80), the reference channel coordinates of channel 59 are (-29.56, -78.95, 45.60), and the reference channel coordinates of channel 61 are (-16.61, -87.10, 37.35). The actual channel coordinates of each channel can have a deviation within ±15 in the X and Y directions relative to its reference channel coordinates, and can have a deviation within ±25 in the Z direction relative to its reference channel. Among them, the reference channel coordinates of each channel are determined based on the standard brain model ICBM152.

6. The diagnostic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first group of brain region pairs includes the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the right frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the left frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the left frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the right frontal lobe and the left inferior parietal lobule, and the right frontal lobe and the right occipital lobe; The second group of brain regions includes the left inferior parietal lobule, the left occipital lobe, and the right occipital lobe.

7. The diagnostic device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The diagnostic index is at least one or a combination of at least several of the inter-channel connection strength between the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the inter-regional connection strength between the left frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe, the inter-regional connection strength between the left frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left inferior parietal lobule, the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the right occipital lobe, the intra-regional connection strength of the left inferior parietal lobule, the intra-regional connection strength of the left occipital lobe, and the intra-regional connection strength of the right occipital lobe.

8. The diagnostic device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inter-regional connection strength is the inter-regional connection strength between the right frontal lobe and the left occipital lobe.

9. A diagnostic equipment for cognitive impairment, which is used to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of a subject, and is characterized in that, The diagnostic device at least includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer-executable instructions. When the processor executes the computer-executable instructions, it performs the following operations: Obtain near-infrared data of the target region of the cerebral cortex of the subject in the resting state collected via at least one pair of detection elements. Among them, a pair of detection elements is arranged to form a channel, and it is not necessary to let the subject perform a task for brain activation; Extract a diagnostic index based on the near-infrared data. The diagnostic index includes the brain region connection strength and the inter-channel connection strength, or includes the inter-channel connection strength. The brain region connection strength at least includes brain region connection strength information related to the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe, and the inter-channel connection strength at least includes inter-channel connection strength information related to the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and the left occipital lobe; Among them, the inter-channel connection strength is at least one inter-channel connection strength determined by at least 1 pair of channels. Each pair of channels in the at least 1 pair of channels includes a first channel and a second channel. The first channel is formed corresponding to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the second channel is formed corresponding to the left occipital lobe; The brain region connection strength includes at least one of the whole-brain representative connection strength, the inter-brain-region connection strength, and the intra-brain-region connection strength; the whole-brain representative connection strength is determined based on the representative value of all inter-channel connection strengths; The inter-brain-region connection strength is determined based on the representative value of the inter-channel connection strengths between the channels respectively set corresponding to each brain region in at least one brain region pair of the first group of brain region pairs; The intra-brain-region connection strength is determined based on the representative value of the inter-channel connection strengths between each of the channels respectively set corresponding to at least one brain region in the second group of brain regions; Predict the cognitive impairment status of the subject based on the diagnostic index.

10. A diagnostic system for cognitive impairment, which is used to assist in diagnosing the cognitive impairment status of a subject, and is characterized in that, The diagnostic system includes a near-infrared spectroscopy detection device and the diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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