Technology
We are Developing State of the Art Software Technology Which May Aid in Early Diagnosis of
Autism and Other Neurological Conditions
Using existing technology (MRI scan) the folds in a brain’s Cerebral White Matter are first mapped via gyrificaition. The resulting shapes are then analyzed by imaging technology. This technology is comprised of software capable of producing a 3D map of a brain based on scans. Using this 3D mesh map the brain’s neurological health may be evaluated. This may provide the opportunity to aid in the early diagnosis of Autism and potentially other neurological conditions.
Current Diagnostic Techniques for Autism
Diagnosing Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) currently involves:
- A number of specialized healthcare workers,
- Observation over long periods of time,
- A series of tests which may determine if a child is on the Autistic Spectrum.
The costs and time associated with the diagnosis can be daunting. It is extremely difficult to diagnose a young child, which prevents early interventions.
New Technology May Reveal the Autistic Brain Earlier
When developed and cleared through regulatory agencies, this new technology may aid in the diagnosis of a child as young as six months old, which may allow for early interventions and aid in parents’ peace of mind.
Classifying a brain includes four steps:
- Segment the brain’s scanned image data associated with a specific cortex of the brain
- Equalize and model segmented image data to generate a 3D mesh model of the brain
- Map the 3D mesh model to a unit sphere
- Compute the spherical harmonics for the delineation of the unit sphere
On completion of the listed four steps, the spherical modules are used to classify the brain. This classification is based on the learned shape model developed from a collection of previous data of categorized brain images. The test can be repeated to follow the disease state over time.