Application of image analysis to neurological screening through figure-copying tasks.
Approaches to the detection and monitoring of neurological dysfunction are generally resource-intensive and often difficult to evaluate objectively. This paper describes an approach to neurological screening which is based on the on-line analysis of figure copying tasks, and a variety of features are measured to characterise task execution. It is shown how both qualitative and quantitative measures of individual performance can be obtained in real time. A preliminary experimental study is described to identify appropriate performance indicators for a reference asymptomatic population and for a population with a known abnormal clinical history. The results obtained experimentally demonstrate that the approach proposed, while convenient and efficient in terms of the resources required in implementation, nevertheless offers a high degree of robustness and sensitivity which supports an optimistic view of its clinical viability.
Electronic Engineering Laboratories, University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K.
M C
MC
Fairhust
S L
SL
Smith
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009862:Online Systems; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis