Computer hardware for psychophysiological examination of the higher nervous system in normalcy and in pathology

Abstract

Psychological stresses, personal turmoil, and social unrest of contemporary life has a significant detrimental effect on human nervous system. Mental health protection, timely diagnosis of mental illness, and rehabilitation and information support provide the necessary basis for efficacious medical treatment. In addition to somatic health protection, these problems are of considerable social importance.Psychophysiological examination of normal and pathological activity of the higher nervous system (HNS) is an effective instrumental method for monitoring working capacity and physiological state of patients. Such examination allows HNS characteristics to be assessed at the level of the entire behavioral pattern, rather than through individual behavioral events.Analysis of some scientific concepts [1, 2, 5] and our own experience in the development and use of psychophysiological devices (psychoengineering concept [31) has given rise to a number of principles designed to facilitate the development of medical and psychophysiological devices [4]. 1. Examination procedure should be based on an experimental model of consistent goal-oriented behavior with repeated basic stages of afferent synthesis, decisions on locomotor behavioral event, and evaluation Of its result. Each further afferent synthesis and decision making event depends on the results of the previous behavioral event.2. Results of examination should represent both cumulative characters and sequential organization of behavioral quanta and their temporal parameters.3. Examination hardware should be sufficiently flexible to implement various functional combinations. Each specific device should be able to isolate specific mechanisms of higher nervous actiwty and to assess it by individual characters and various combinations of the characters.A new generation of medical hardware has been developed and introduced into serial production on the basis of new medical and physiological concepts. The most effective and typical examples of such hardware are considered in the present work.A computer system for psychophysiological examinations was designed to implement various automatic techniques of psychological and psychophysiological examination of the human HNS in normalcy and in pathology.This system provides automatic quantitative evaluation of perception, attention, memory, psychomotor characteristics, etc. The range of available techniques can be extended and adapted to specific problems.A special personal computer terminal for monitoring sensomotor coordination and tremor implements procedures for measuring static and dynamic tremor and visual and audiomotor coordination (with closed eyes).The software allows implementation o[ various modes of automatic examination (including examination with audio and visual feedback), adjustment of examination modes, calculation, analysis, and archiving of examination results.A special medical physiological personal computer terminal for assessing stability of a patient's center of gravity can be used in orthopedics, neurology,...

Scientific, Organizational, and Methodological Principles of Development of Health Protection Technologies for Universities and Their Medical and Technological Support

“…Psychophysiological methods are most effec- tive in studies of the central nervous system. They also can be used for examination of the cardiovascular, respiratory, neuromuscular, locomotor, and other systems of the human body [3,4]. Psychophysiological methods are now widely used in medicine, education, industry, etc.…”

Computer technologies in hygienic examinations of children and adolescents

“…The Ritmotest, Mnemotest, and Binatest test computer systems [1] and Psikhomat computer psychophysiological research system [2] were used for testing the psychofunctional state of the schoolchildren. These devices were developed at the All-Russian ScientificResearch Institute for Medical Instrument Engineering, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and certified for psychophysiotogical testing of children.…”