Neural signal visualization system

Abstract

The utility model provides a neural signal visualization system, which comprises a stimulation device used for providing stimulation actions for a tested object; the acquisition device is used for acquiring a bio-electricity signal transmitted by the nervous tissue of the tested object in response to the stimulation action through a plurality of acquisition points; the output device is used for outputting a visualization result generated according to the bio-electricity signal, and the visualization result comprises at least one of a transmission path of the bio-electricity signal, a functional area in the nervous tissue or a boundary of the functional area, and an abnormal area in the nervous tissue or a boundary of the abnormal area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical devices, and in particular to a neural signal visualization system. Background Art

[0002] The characterization of the transmission path of neural electrical signals is the basis of the current hot research direction of brain science and brain-like research. By placing non-invasive, semi-invasive or fully invasive collection electrodes on the surface or inside the human body, neural electrical signals in the neural tissue at the corresponding position can be collected.

[0003] The current way of displaying neural electrical signal data is usually to express the relationship between the neural signal and the time it is generated. For example, an image is displayed with the horizontal axis being time and the vertical axis being the amplitude of the electrical signal in a certain part of the neural tissue. The existing visualization method cannot reflect the transmission path of the neural electrical signal. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides a neural signal visualization system, comprising:

[0005] A stimulation device, used to provide stimulation actions to the subject;

[0006] A collection device, used to collect bioelectric signals transmitted by the neural tissue of the subject in response to the stimulation action through multiple collection points;

[0007] An output device is used to output a visualization result generated based on the bioelectric signal, wherein the visualization result includes at least one of a transmission path of the bioelectric signal, a functional area in the neural tissue or its boundary, and an abnormal area in the neural tissue or its boundary.

[0008] Optionally, the stimulation device includes an in vitro stimulation device, which stimulates the corresponding sensory organs of the subject through at least one stimulation source selected from the group consisting of a sound source, a light source, a heat source, an odor source, a taste source, a tactile source, a body surface electrical stimulation source, and a muscle electrical stimulation source.

[0009] Optionally, the stimulation device comprises an implantable neural stimulation device, which releases electrical pulse signals to the implantation location through electrode contacts implanted in the body.

[0010] Optionally, the output device includes at least one of an image modeling device and a physical modeling device, wherein the visualization result output by the image modeling device is a transmission path tracing diagram of the bioelectric signal, and the visualization result output by the physical modeling device is a physical three-dimensional model of the bioelectric signal transmission path tracing diagram.

[0011] Optionally, the transmission path tracing diagram is a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image, the two-dimensional image uses different colors to represent the activity of various parts in the neural tissue, and the three-dimensional image uses different colors and / or different shapes to represent the activity of various parts in the neural tissue.

[0012] Optionally, the stimulation device comprises an external electrical stimulation device for applying an electrical stimulation signal around the neural tissue.

[0013] Optionally, the output device includes a projection device for projecting an image onto the neural tissue to indicate at least one of an abnormal area in the neural tissue or its boundary, and a functional area in the neural tissue or its boundary.

[0014] Optionally, the collection device includes at least one of an electrode array suitable for being arranged on the surface of neural tissue, a microneedle array suitable for penetrating the body surface, a microneedle array or electrode array suitable for penetrating the surface of neural tissue to the inside of neural tissue, and a flexible electrode suitable for implantation in the body.

[0015] Optionally, the electrode array includes a flexible substrate and a plurality of electrode contacts distributed on the flexible substrate, and the plurality of electrode contacts are arranged in a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array; the microneedle array includes a plurality of conductive microneedles on a flexible substrate, and the plurality of conductive microneedles are arranged in a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array; the flexible electrode includes a plurality of probe bundles, and the probe bundles include a flexible substrate and a plurality of electrode contacts distributed on the flexible substrate.

[0016] Optionally, some of the multiple collection points of the collection device are marked as reference points, and the shape and / or material of the reference points are different from the shape and / or material of other collection points.

[0017] The system provided by the embodiment of the present invention applies a stimulation action to the object under test through a stimulation device, and the acquisition device acquires the bioelectric signals transmitted by the neural tissue of the object under test in response to the stimulation action, and outputs the visualization results related to the transmission path of the neural electrical signals through the output device, so that the propagation path of the neural electrical signals can be presented to the researchers in a more intuitive and vivid effect. It can show the way in which the neural tissue of the object under test transmits neural electrical signals under the influence of various external stimuli, the functional areas in the neural tissue that respond to the stimulation action, or the abnormal areas in the neural tissue, providing valuable reference information in the research of brain science and medicine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a neural signal visualization system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional electrode array in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a microneedle array in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional flexible electrode in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another neural signal visualization system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of an output device in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other. Embodiment 1

[0027] The embodiment of the present invention provides a neural signal visualization system, which is used to present the path of the biological electrical signal transmitted by the neural tissue of the object under test under external stimulation. Figure 1 As shown, the system can be specifically called a neural electrical signal transmission path visualization system, including an acquisition device 100, an output device 200, and a stimulation device 300.

[0028] The acquisition device 100 is used to collect bioelectric signals transmitted by the nervous tissue of the subject in response to stimulation through multiple acquisition points. According to the observation requirements, the acquisition device 100 can be arranged in the peripheral nervous tissue or central nervous tissue of the subject, or arranged in the body part corresponding to the nervous tissue. The acquisition device 100 includes at least one of an electrode array suitable for arrangement on the surface of nervous tissue, a microneedle array suitable for penetrating the body surface, a microneedle array or an electrode array suitable for penetrating the surface of nervous tissue to the inside of nervous tissue, and a flexible electrode suitable for implantation in the body. Specifically, it can be a non-implanted, semi-implanted or fully implanted neural electrical signal device such as a flexible electrode array, a shallow brain probe, a deep brain probe, etc., wherein the arrangement of the acquisition points can be one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional.

[0029] The stimulation device 300 is used to provide stimulation actions to the object under test. The stimulation device 300 can be an in vitro stimulation device or an implantable neural stimulation device, or a temporary neural stimulation device. An in vitro stimulation device refers to a device that stimulates the corresponding sensory organs of the object under test through at least one stimulation source selected from the group consisting of a sound source, a light source, a heat source, an odor source, a taste source, a tactile source, a body surface electrical stimulation source, and a muscle electrical stimulation source; an implantable neural stimulation device refers to a device that releases electrical pulse signals to the implantation position through electrode contacts implanted in the body; a temporary neural stimulation device refers to a device that temporarily releases electrical pulse signals to the exposed position of a surgical opening of neural tissue through electrode contacts.

[0030] It should be noted that in the embodiment using an implantable neural stimulation device, the system does not limit the stimulation position. For example, if the acquisition device 100 is arranged at the cranial nerve, the implantable neural stimulation device can apply a stimulation signal to the spinal nerve. Under the influence of the stimulation signal, the cranial nerve of the subject will transmit bioelectric signals. The system can also be applied to neural tissues other than the brain and spinal cord, and the user can arrange the positions of the acquisition device 100 and the stimulation device 300 according to needs.

[0031] The output device 200 is used to output the visualization results generated according to the bioelectric signal, and the visualization results can be the transmission path of the bioelectric signal, the functional area in the neural tissue, or its boundary. The output device 200 can specifically be an image modeling device and a physical modeling device. The image modeling device is, for example, a projection device, which uses plane projection, holographic projection, proportional projection, non-proportional projection, static projection, dynamic projection, etc.; the physical modeling device can specifically be a 3D printer.

[0032] Specifically, the multiple collection points of the collection device 100 can collect neural electrical signals at multiple discrete points. As the most basic processing method, the neural electrical signals (analog signals) at these discrete points can be converted into digital signals through analog-to-digital conversion. The value of the digital signal at each collection point can represent the activity of the neural tissue at that location. The numerical value is represented by graphics and colors, and the composed image can show the activity of the neural tissue at various locations, thereby presenting the transmission path of the bioelectric signal. The denser the collection points of the collection device 100, the higher the resolution of the image.

[0033] The output device 200 can use colors, undulations and other styles to represent the activity of each point in the activity image, and arrange them according to the position information of each point, so as to generate a visualization image, projection or model. Specifically, the visualization result can be a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image. The two-dimensional image uses different colors to represent the activity of each part of the neural tissue, and the three-dimensional image uses different colors and / or different shapes to represent the activity of each part of the neural tissue. The visualization result output by the image modeling device in this embodiment is a tracing diagram of the transmission path of the neural electrical signal, and the visualization result output by the entity modeling device is a physical three-dimensional model of the tracing diagram of the transmission path of the neural electrical signal. Through the visualization result, the activity of each part of the neural tissue of the object under test under the influence of the stimulation action can be clearly observed.

[0034] In other embodiments, the system can be used in combination with other electronic devices, such as other devices with computing functions (such as computers or servers, etc.) to perform some processing on the original neural electrical signals, including but not limited to interpolation and normalization, and generate visualization results based on the processed results. The output device 200 in the system acts as a receiving device to receive and display the activity images generated by other electronic devices.

[0035] Furthermore, for healthy subjects, the areas with higher activity in the nervous tissue can be regarded as functional areas. For example, when the stimulation device uses a light source to stimulate, the visual nerves of the subject react, and the areas with higher activity in the central nervous tissue are visual functional areas. The user can identify the functional area by observing the activity image. In other embodiments, the boundaries of the functional areas can be defined with the help of other devices with computing functions (such as computers or servers, etc.). The output device 200 in this system serves as a receiving device to receive and display the boundaries of the functional areas generated by other electronic devices.

[0036] As an optional solution, the collection device 100 can be an electrode array suitable for being arranged on the surface of neural tissue, a microneedle array suitable for penetrating the body surface, a microneedle array or electrode array suitable for penetrating the surface of neural tissue to the inside of neural tissue, or a flexible electrode suitable for implantation in the body.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, the electrode array includes a flexible substrate 130 and a plurality of electrode contacts 110 distributed on the flexible substrate, and the plurality of electrode contacts 110 are arranged in a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array. The contour of the flexible substrate 130 may be regular or irregular. The array of electrode contacts 110 inside the corresponding flexible substrate 130 also appears as a regular square array or an irregular arbitrary array. The flexible substrate 130 can be attached to the surface of the nerve tissue and wrapped around the peripheral nerve bundle. The electrode contacts 110 are connected to the chip 140 through the wire 120, and the chip 140 can perform pre-processing such as filtering on the original signal.

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, the microneedle array includes a plurality of conductive microneedles 150 on a flexible substrate 130. The plurality of conductive microneedles 150 are arranged in a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array. The conductive microneedles 150 can penetrate the surface of the skin or nerve tissue and collect nerve signals in the shallow layer.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, the flexible electrode includes a plurality of probe bundles 180, and the probe bundles 180 include a flexible substrate 130 and a plurality of electrode contacts 110 distributed on the flexible substrate 130. The plurality of probe bundles 180 are implanted into the neural tissue in a minimally invasive manner by using a laser puncher and an introduction needle.

[0040] Furthermore, some of the multiple collection points of the collection device 100 are marked as reference points, and the shape and / or material of the reference points are different from the shapes and / or materials of other collection points. Figure 2 In the flexible electrode array shown, the electrode contacts located at the three corners can be used as reference points 101. Figure 3 In the microneedle array shown, the electrode contacts at the four corners can be used as reference points 101. The special shape and / or material of the reference point can be captured by an optical positioning device, an electromagnetic positioning device, etc., so as to determine its spatial position. According to the positional relationship between the reference point and other collection points, all collection points of the collection device 100 can be positioned. Embodiment 2

[0041] The embodiment of the present invention provides a neural signal visualization system, which is used to present the abnormal area or boundary of the neural tissue of the object under test, and can be used to accurately locate the lesion area during surgery so as to perform operations such as resection and ablation on the lesion area. Figure 5 As shown, the system can be specifically referred to as a precision positioning system for neurological surgery, including an acquisition device 100 , an output device 200 , and a stimulation device 300 .

[0042] The acquisition device 100 is used to collect bioelectric signals transmitted by nerve tissue in response to external electrical stimulation through multiple acquisition points. According to surgical requirements, the acquisition device 100 can be arranged in the peripheral nerve tissue or central nerve tissue of the surgical site, or arranged in the body part corresponding to the nerve tissue. The acquisition device 100 includes at least one of an electrode array suitable for arrangement on the surface of nerve tissue, a microneedle array suitable for penetrating the body surface, a microneedle array or electrode array suitable for penetrating the surface of nerve tissue to the inside of nerve tissue, and a flexible electrode suitable for implantation in the body. Specifically, it can be a flexible electrode array, a shallow brain probe, a deep brain probe, or other non-implanted, semi-implanted, or fully implanted neural electrical signal device, wherein the arrangement of the acquisition points can be one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional, and can be specifically adopted as follows Figure 2-4 The structure shown.

[0043] The stimulation device 300 is used to provide stimulation to the object under test. In this embodiment, the stimulation device 300 is preferably an external electrical stimulation device, which is used to apply electrical stimulation signals to the vicinity of the nerve tissue. As an example, if the acquisition device 100 is arranged at the cranial nerve, the purpose is to determine the abnormal area in the cranial nerve tissue, and the user can hold the stimulation device 300 to apply electrical stimulation signals near the area covered by the flexible electrode array.

[0044] It should be noted that users can also apply stimulation at other locations according to actual needs, and the stimulation methods are not limited to electrical stimulation. For example, for some specific diseases, there may be specific stimulation methods and stimulation sites that are more suitable for the corresponding nerve tissue to respond. The appropriate stimulation method and stimulation site should be selected according to biological or surgical needs.

[0045] The output device 200 is used to output the visualization results generated according to the bioelectric signal. The visualization results in this embodiment are abnormal areas in the neural tissue or their boundaries. Specifically, the multiple acquisition points of the acquisition device 100 can acquire neural electrical signals at multiple discrete points. As the most basic processing method, the neural electrical signals (analog signals) of these discrete points can be converted into digital signals through analog-to-digital conversion. The value of the digital signal at each acquisition point can represent the activity of the neural tissue at that location. The numerical value is represented by graphics and colors, and the resulting image can show the activity of the neural tissue at various locations, thereby presenting the transmission path of the bioelectric signal. The denser the acquisition points of the acquisition device 100, the higher the resolution of the image.

[0046] In other embodiments, the system can be used in combination with other electronic devices, such as other devices with computing functions (such as computers or servers, etc.) to perform some processing on the original neural electrical signals, including but not limited to interpolation and normalization, and generate visualization results based on the processed results. The output device 200 in the system acts as a receiving device to receive the activity images generated by other electronic devices.

[0047] Furthermore, for a subject with abnormal nerve tissue, an area with low activity in the nerve tissue can be regarded as an abnormal area. For example, when an electrical stimulation signal is applied to the vicinity of the nerve, the nerve tissue transmits a signal, and the area with low activity is the abnormal area. The boundary of the abnormal area can be delineated with the help of other devices with computing functions (such as computers or servers, etc.). The output device 200 in the system serves as a receiving device to receive and display the boundary of the abnormal area generated by other electronic devices.

[0048] like Figure 6 As shown, the output device 200 of this embodiment is preferably a projection device, which is used to project an image onto the neural tissue to indicate the abnormal area 201 or its boundary. The projection surface is the surface where the acquisition device 100 is located, thereby projecting points within the abnormal area 201 or its boundary points on the human body surface, and the projected image corresponds to the size of the activity image in a 1:1 ratio.

[0049] The projection device may specifically be a laser projection or an LED light source projection, and the projected image may be regarded as a binary image, using one color to represent points in the abnormal area or its boundary points, and using another color to represent other areas.

[0050] According to the system provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the stimulation signals emitted by the stimulation device induce the nerve tissue to generate relevant potentials. These induced nerve impulse signals propagate in the nerve tissue and are collected by the signal acquisition device to obtain the intensity of the response of the nerve tissue to the stimulation signal. Since there is an obvious difference in the degree of response between the normal area and the diseased area, the abnormal area can be obtained based on this difference, and then the output device can be used to perform precise abnormal distinction boundary calibration to guide doctors to perform operations such as resection or ablation, thereby reducing surgical costs.

[0051] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of clear explanation, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

1. A neural signal visualization system, characterized in that: include: A stimulation device, used to provide stimulation actions to the subject; A collection device, used to collect bioelectric signals transmitted by the neural tissue of the subject in response to the stimulation action through multiple collection points; An output device is used to output a visualization result generated based on the bioelectric signal, wherein the visualization result includes at least one of a transmission path of the bioelectric signal, a functional area in the neural tissue or its boundary, and an abnormal area in the neural tissue or its boundary.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The stimulation device comprises an in vitro stimulation device, which stimulates the corresponding sensory organ of the subject through at least one stimulation source selected from the group consisting of a sound source, a light source, a heat source, an odor source, a taste source, a tactile source, a body surface electrical stimulation source, and a muscle electrical stimulation source.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The stimulation device comprises an implantable neural stimulation device, which releases an electrical pulse signal to an implantation position through electrode contacts implanted in the body.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that The output device includes at least one of an image modeling device and a solid modeling device, wherein the visualization result output by the image modeling device is a transmission path tracing diagram of the bioelectric signal, and the visualization result output by the solid modeling device is a solid three-dimensional model of the bioelectric signal transmission path tracing diagram.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that The transmission path tracing diagram is a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image. The two-dimensional image uses different colors to represent the activity of various parts in the neural tissue, and the three-dimensional image uses different colors and / or different shapes to represent the activity of various parts in the neural tissue.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The stimulation device comprises an external electrical stimulation device, and the external electrical stimulation device is used to apply an electrical stimulation signal around the nerve tissue.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The output device includes a projection device for projecting an image onto the nerve tissue to indicate at least one of an abnormal area in the nerve tissue or its boundary, and a functional area in the nerve tissue or its boundary.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The collection device includes at least one of an electrode array suitable for being arranged on the surface of nerve tissue, a microneedle array suitable for penetrating the body surface, a microneedle array or an electrode array suitable for penetrating the surface of nerve tissue to the inside of nerve tissue, and a flexible electrode suitable for implantation in the body.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that The electrode array includes a flexible substrate and a plurality of electrode contacts distributed on the flexible substrate, and the plurality of electrode contacts are arranged in a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array; the microneedle array includes a plurality of conductive microneedles on a flexible substrate, and the plurality of conductive microneedles are arranged in a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array; the flexible electrode includes a plurality of probe bundles, and the probe bundles include a flexible substrate and a plurality of electrode contacts distributed on the flexible substrate.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that Some of the multiple collection points of the collection device are marked as reference points, and the shape and / or material of the reference points are different from the shapes and / or materials of the other collection points.

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