JP2003322612A - Brain-activity measuring apparatus and head mounting implement for brain-activity measurement - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a brain-activity measuring apparatus which does not give an unpleasant feeling to a subject due to a load of an optical fiber when a brain activity is measured by using an NIRS method and in which an intrinsic result of a measurement is not influenced due to the load and to provide a head mounting implement used for the measuring apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The brain-activity measuring apparatus 1 is constituted in such a way that an intermediate length position of an optical fiber group 3 extended to a control part 2 from the head mounting implement 4 mounted on a head of the subject T is lifted up by a lifting means 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a brain activity measuring apparatus for easily obtaining functional information of a subject's brain, and a brain activity measuring head attachment applied thereto.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various devices and systems for non-invasively measuring brain activity and analyzing brain function have been developed. For example, functional nuclear magnetic resonance (fMRI) function
Typical examples are al magnetic resonance imaging) and positron emission tomography (PET). However, in such a method, since the subject is housed in a device that is almost occluded and brain activity is measured in the device, it is difficult to measure brain activity during exercise while moving the body of the subject. is there.

As a method for solving such a problem, near-infrared spectrum spectroscopy (NIRS) is used.
A method for measuring brain activity using y) has been developed and is drawing attention. In the NIRS method, a subject's head is irradiated with near-infrared rays of a predetermined wavelength through an irradiation optical fiber,
Correspondingly, a method of detecting near infrared rays reflected by the brain through a detection optical fiber is adopted. Specifically, the near-infrared ray having a wavelength that penetrates skin tissue and bone tissue and is absorbed by oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in blood in the blood vessels of the brain is used, and the near-infrared ray is attached to the head of the subject. By transmitting via an optical fiber connected to a holder, the concentration of oxyhemoglobin in blood, the concentration of deoxyhemoglobin, and the total hemoglobin concentration, which is the sum of them, are measured, and the concentration in the brain is derived from these changes over time. The hemodynamic changes measure or image the brain activity of the subject during exercise or at rest. In addition, according to the NIRS method, the brain activity pattern is clarified by measuring the brain activity when a subject with a motor function disorder imagines that the site with the disorder is moving. It is also useful for rehabilitation.

[0004]

However, in the brain activity measuring device adopting the NIRS method which has been conventionally adopted, the load of the bundle of the irradiation optical fiber and the detection optical fiber is passed through the holder to the subject's head. It is difficult to eliminate the possibility that the influence of the influence on the measurement result of the target brain activity will be excluded because it acts on the part of the body, and the subject may feel discomfort due to the load of the optical fiber. . Especially, the influence is great in measurement during exercise such as walking.

In view of the above problems, the present invention does not make the subject uncomfortable due to the load of the optical fiber when measuring the brain activity using the NIRS method, and the influence of the influence on the original measurement result. The main object of the present invention is to provide a brain activity measuring device that does not exert any influence, and a head mounting tool used for the same.

[0006]

That is, the brain activity measuring apparatus of the present invention uses near-infrared spectroscopy by irradiating the head of a subject with near-infrared rays and measuring the near-infrared rays reflected by the brain of the subject. In measuring brain activity by utilizing, a control unit that controls irradiation, detection, and measurement of near-infrared rays, and an optical fiber for irradiation that transmits the near-infrared rays that is controlled by the control section and is irradiated to the subject's head And an optical fiber group formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers composed of detection optical fibers that transmit near infrared rays reflected by the brain of the subject to the control unit, and a head attached to the head of the subject and holding one end of the optical fiber group. And a weight of the optical fiber group lifted by the lifting means, and an intermediate portion between the head mounting tool side end and the control section side end of the optical fiber group. And it is characterized in that formed by and a weight lifted balancer by a lifting means, such weight.

According to the brain activity measuring apparatus having such a configuration, the optical fiber group connected to the subject's head through the head mounting tool is supported in a state of being suspended by the suspending means, and the weight balancer. Since the weight is balanced by, the load of the optical fiber group hardly acts on the head of the subject. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the subject from feeling uncomfortable due to the optical fiber group, and it is possible to eliminate the influence on the measurement result of the brain activity using the NIRS method due to the load of the optical fiber group acting on the subject as much as possible. . In addition, when measuring the brain activity of the subject in an exercise state, the degree of freedom of the subject's body can be dramatically improved.

In particular, the stability of the optical fiber group suspended by the suspension means and balanced in weight by the weight balancer is improved, and the discomfort given to the subject, the accuracy of the measurement result, and the freedom of movement of the subject's body are further improved. As a configuration to improve, the head mounting device, which has a occipital region covering part that is attached to the head of the subject and covers the occipital region or the crown, holds one end of the optical fiber group and An example is one in which the vicinity of one end is fixed to the occipital region covering part.

Further, as a suitable lifting means, there may be mentioned a structure provided with a pulley for sorting the optical fiber group and the weight balancer and slidably supporting them.

Further, in order to preferably measure the brain activity of the subject in the exercise state, it is desirable that the brain activity measuring device is provided with a treadmill that allows the subject to move the legs at substantially fixed positions. In this case, for a subject who is difficult to walk by himself / herself, it is preferable to further provide a body lifting unit that allows the motion of at least the legs of the subject above the treadmill and supports the body in a suspended state. By doing so, it will be very useful for neurorehabilitation of a subject having a foot movement disorder.

In the brain activity measuring apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, the suitable control section for appropriately measuring the state of the brain of the subject during exercise is reflected by the brain and detected through the optical fiber for detection. A parameter substance kinetics data generating means for generating parameter substance kinetics data indicating or suggesting kinetics such as distribution and concentration change of a parameter substance which is a substance contributing to brain function based on near infrared rays, and the generated parameter substance It is preferable to have a display means for displaying the dynamic data.

In particular, in order to visually grasp and discriminate the brain function based on the detected near-infrared rays, the parameter substance dynamics data generated by the parameter substance dynamics data generating means is controlled by the control unit in the brain functional image. It is useful to further provide a brain functional image data processing means for processing as data, and the display means to have a function of displaying the brain functional image data processed by the brain functional image data processing means. Here, as the parameter substance, hemoglobin (oxyhemoglobin or deoxyhemoglobin),
A sugar (glucose etc.) can be illustrated. further,
The control unit is provided with a brain function image data storage unit that stores the brain function image data processed by the parameter substance dynamics data processing unit, so that the measurement result of the brain activity of the subject is compared with the previous measurement result and the future measurement result. It is possible to effectively use the measurement results, such as comparison and comparison with the measurement results of other subjects.

Further, in combination with a morphological image of the brain obtained by another medical image diagnostic apparatus such as CT scan or MRI, or a functional image of the brain obtained by another medical image diagnostic apparatus such as fMRI, In order to facilitate the collection of detailed brain activity data, the brain function image data processed by the brain function image data processing means is displayed on the display means as the brain morphology image data generated by another medical image diagnostic apparatus or It is advisable to provide a function of superimposing and displaying the brain function image data.

In particular, a specific example suitable as brain functional image data obtained by this brain activity measuring device is an image showing hemodynamic changes in the brain of a subject. More specifically, preferably, the parameter substance kinetic data generating means is a means for generating hemoglobin kinetic data showing the kinetics of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin as the parameter substance, and displaying means, the generated hemoglobin kinetic data It may be displayed as an image showing hemodynamic changes. In this case, in order to understand the dynamic changes of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin, the control unit irradiates and detects near-infrared rays of at least two or more wavelengths having different molecular absorption coefficients of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin. It is desirable that the calculation is performed by a theory based on spectroscopy. Furthermore, in order to analyze the brain activity based on the detected near-infrared rays of two or more wavelengths and obtain more detailed functional information of the brain, the control unit is based on the detected near-infrared rays of two or more different wavelengths. Each hemoglobin kinetic data, or each image showing hemodynamic changes based on each hemoglobin kinetic data, combined, extracted,
Alternatively, it is preferable to further provide an arithmetic processing means for performing arithmetic processing such as conversion.

The brain activity measuring head mount of the present invention utilizes near infrared spectroscopy by irradiating the subject's head with near infrared light and measuring the near infrared light reflected by the subject's brain. In a brain activity measuring device that measures brain activity with a control unit, a control unit that controls irradiation, detection, and measurement of near-infrared rays, and an irradiation light that transmits the near-infrared rays that are controlled and irradiated by the control unit to the subject's head. An optical fiber group formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers, each of which is composed of an optical fiber and a detection optical fiber that transmits near-infrared rays reflected by the brain of the subject to the control unit, and the end of the optical fiber group on the subject side and the end on the control unit side. And a weight balancer that has a weight approximately equal to the weight of the optical fiber group suspended by the suspension means and that is suspended by the suspension means. It is, and a head mounting portion mounted on the subject's head, characterized in that it forms a holding portion for holding one end portion of the optical fiber group in the head unit mounting portion.

In this case, the optical fiber group is supported in a state of being suspended by the suspending means, and the weight is balanced by the weight balancer. Therefore, the brain activity measuring head mount is worn. The load of the optical fiber group hardly acts on the head of the test subject. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the subject from feeling uncomfortable due to the optical fiber group, and it is possible to eliminate the influence on the measurement result of the brain activity using the NIRS method due to the load of the optical fiber group acting on the subject as much as possible. The degree of freedom of the subject's body can be improved when measuring the subject's brain activity in the exercise state.

In particular, in order to improve the stability of the optical fiber group whose one end is held by the head attachment for measuring brain activity and the stability of the head of the subject based on the optical fiber group, It is advisable to form a occipital region covering portion on the area to be covered and to provide a fixing means for fixing the vicinity of one end of the optical fiber group on the subject side in the occipital region covering portion.

In addition, the head mounting portion is mainly made of a thermoplastic material, and the thermoplastic material is heated and softened, and the head mounting portion is put on the head of the subject and then cured, whereby the head of the subject is cured. By adopting a shape corresponding to the shape of the head, it is possible to use a head attachment for measuring brain activity that matches the shape of the head of each subject, and it is possible to measure brain activity more accurately.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The brain activity measuring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment schematically shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) of the brain activity during movement of the subject T, especially when the limbs are moving.
Method) is used for measurement.

The brain activity measuring apparatus 1 is composed of a control unit 2, an optical fiber group 3, a head mounting tool 4, a treadmill 5, a support stand 6, a lifting means 7, a weight balancer 8, a body lifting means 9 and the like. It

First, the control unit 2 will be described based on the schematic functional configuration diagram shown in FIG. 3. A light source 22 for irradiating near infrared rays, a detector 23 for detecting near infrared rays reflected by the brain of the subject T, and the above-mentioned Control of light source 22 and detector 23 and detector 2
The information processing device 21, the display 24, the printer 25, and the like that perform measurement of the near-infrared rays detected in 3 and the like. The information processing device 21 is, for example, a dedicated computer or a general-purpose computer incorporating a predetermined software program, and is connected to a CPU, an internal memory, a storage device such as an HDD, an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse, and an external device, although not shown. It is equipped with a communication interface. Then, in the information processing apparatus 21, each unit operates according to the program, and as shown in FIG. 3, the light source control unit 211, the detector control unit 212, and hemoglobin that generates dynamic data of hemoglobin that is a parameter substance to be measured. Dynamic data generation means 213, brain function image data processing means 214, brain function image data storage means 21
5, the arithmetic processing unit 216, the display unit 217, and the like.

The respective means in the control unit 2 will be briefly described below. The light source control means 211 is a light source 22 that emits near-infrared rays having different wavelengths, each of which is connected to the base end portion of the irradiation optical fiber 31, specifically, in the present embodiment, the wavelengths of near-infrared rays that are absorbed by oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin. 780nm, 805nm, 83 corresponding to
The light source 22 composed of a semiconductor laser diode of three wavelengths near 0 nm is controlled so as to emit pulsed light or stationary light at predetermined intervals. The light source 22 is 7
It may be composed of a semiconductor laser diode having two wavelengths near 80 nm and 830 nm. Also, as a light source, LE
D or the like can also be adopted. On the other hand, the detector control means 2
Reference numeral 12 controls the near-infrared ray reflected by the wavelength of the near-infrared ray emitted from the light source 22 so that the near-infrared ray is detected by the detector 23 such as a photomultiplier through the detection optical fiber 32. Convert to digital signal. In the present embodiment, a plurality of light sources 22 and a plurality of detectors 23 are provided as a set, and for example, 30 sets of light source / detector channels with numbers 1 to 30 are provided.
It is controlled by the light source control means 211 and the detector control means 212. Hemoglobin dynamic data generation means 213
Is detected by the detector 23, and based on the near-infrared rays converted into a digital signal by the detector control means 212, the subject T
Hemoglobin kinetic data showing kinetics such as distribution of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin and changes in concentration over time in each part of the brain are generated. Arithmetic processing means 216
Generates kinetic data of total hemoglobin, which is the sum of them, based on the generated oxyhemoglobin kinetic data and deoxyhemoglobin kinetic data, or generates oxyhemoglobin kinetic data, deoxyhemoglobin kinetic data, and total hemoglobin kinetic data. Processing such as making a graph over time and averaging the measured values of a plurality of times is performed. The brain functional image data processing unit 214 acquires the oxyhemoglobin kinetic data and the deoxyhemoglobin kinetic data acquired by the plurality of light source / detection channels and generated by the hemoglobin kinetic data generation unit 213,
The total hemoglobin dynamics data processed by the arithmetic processing means 216 is analyzed and processed as brain functional image data. The brain function image data storage means 215 also stores the brain function image data processed by the brain function image data processing means 214 in HD format.
Accumulate in D etc. The display unit 217 outputs the hemodynamic change image based on the hemoglobin dynamics to the display 24 or the printer 25 based on the brain functional image data mainly processed by the brain functional image data processing unit 214.
Performs processing such as printing output to. Further, the display means 217 displays or prints out hemoglobin dynamics data before being processed into image data, or outputs brain functional image data by a tomographic image of the head of the subject T by CT scanning or the like by fMRI or the like. It has a function of displaying or printing out by combining or superimposing with a functional image.

The optical fiber group 3 is composed of a bundle of a plurality of irradiation optical fibers 31 and a plurality of detection optical fibers 32. The proximal end of the irradiation optical fiber 31 is connected to the light source 22, and the distal end is directly connected to the head of the subject T by connecting to the holder 43 formed of a holder or the like provided in the head mounting device 4. Irradiate near infrared rays. The irradiated near-infrared rays pass through the scalp and skull of the subject T and are reflected by the cerebral cortex. On the other hand, the detection optical fiber 32 has a base end portion connected to the detector 23, and a tip end portion connected to a holding portion 44 configured by a holder or the like provided in the head mounting device 4, and provided in pairs. The near-infrared rays that have been irradiated by the irradiation optical fiber 31 and reflected by the cerebral cortex are received and transmitted to the detector 23.

The head mounting device 4 is to be put on the head of the subject T, and is a head mounting portion 41 made of a thermoplastic resin material.
It is composed mainly of. Then, the head mounting portion 41 can be made in an order-made manner corresponding to the shape of the head of each subject T. Specifically, a mold of the head of the subject T is set aside in advance, and a sheet material made of a thermoplastic resin is heated and softened, and is applied to the mold of the head of the subject T so as to be closely contacted thereto. The sheet material is copied and cooled to cure. As shown in FIG. 4, the head mounting portion 41 formed in this manner has a shape that covers substantially the entire head area continuously from the forehead of the subject T to the temporal region, crown, and occipital region. . Particularly in the present embodiment, the portion of the head mounting portion 41 that covers the occipital region of the subject T is the occipital region covering portion 41x. Then, this occipital region covering portion 41x
Further, a fixing means 42 for fixing a part of the optical fiber 31 on the tip end side by bundling is provided. The fixing means 42 is, for example, an arch-shaped resin member, and the optical fiber group 3 is fixed inside the arch-shaped member. This is done by fixing the optical fiber group 3 at one position on the back of the head of the subject T with the fixing means 42, and thus it is possible to improve the stability of the optical fiber group 3 against shaking and the like due to movement. . Further, in the head mounting portion 31, the optical fibers 31, 3 corresponding to the numbers of the irradiation optical fibers 31 and the detection optical fibers 32 are provided.
Holding means 43 and 4 made up of holders for fixing the tip of 2
4 is provided. A through hole is provided in the head mounting portion 41 at a portion where the holding means 43 and 44 are provided, and the tip of each of the optical fibers 31 and 32 is attached to the subject T through the through hole.
I try to make contact with my scalp. The near-infrared light emitted from the predetermined irradiation optical fiber 31 is reflected by the cerebral cortex and received by the predetermined one or a plurality of detection optical fibers 32. The holding portions 43 and 44 corresponding to the irradiation optical fiber 31 and the detection optical fiber 32 are provided with a space of, for example, about 3 cm.

The treadmill 5 is an ordinary one that allows the subject T to walk or run on the rotating belt 51 at a substantially fixed position. When the rotating belt 51 is stopped, the subject T can be stationary or take a stepping motion.

The support base 6 is provided around the treadmill 5 and has a high rigidity. A pair of bases 61 are provided on the floors on both the left and right sides of the treadmill 5, and the left and right are respectively erected on the base 61. A pair of struts 62, a horizontal rail 63 connecting the upper ends of the stanchions 62, and a support arm 64 that supports a lifting means 7 and a body lifting means 9 described later and extend substantially parallel to the horizontal rail 63 are mainly configured. .
The support arm 64 is the subject T on the treadmill 5.
It is placed higher than the head of the.

The hoisting means 7 hoists the bundled optical fiber group 3 to reduce the load acting on the head of the subject T due to the weight of the optical fiber group 3 or to eliminate most of the load. . Specifically, the lifting means 7 is provided with a pulley 71 supported by a part of the support arm 64 and capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions about a horizontal axis, and one of the pulleys 71 is capable of being flexibly deformed such as a string or a rope. An intermediate position between the front end portion and the base end portion of the optical fiber group 3 is fixed to one end of the wire rod 72. At this time, the intermediate position of the optical fiber group 3 may be fixed by bundling it with a string or a binding band so that the optical fibers 31 and 32 do not come apart.
Further, at the other end of the wire 72 hung on the pulley 71,
The weight balancer 8 described below is fixed. The pulley 71 may be built in the support arm 64.

The weight balancer 8 has a weight substantially equal to the weight of the optical fiber group 3 fixed to one end of the wire rod 72 hung on the pulley 71, and the material and the shape thereof are not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected. Can be used. The weight of the optical fiber group 3 is supported by the support arm 64 in balance with the weight of the weight balancer 8 by distributing and lifting the optical fiber group 3 and the weight balancer 8 on both sides of the pulley 71 via the wire rod 72. Therefore, the weight of the optical fiber group 3 hardly acts on the head of the subject T.

The body lifting means 9 supports the body of the subject T on the treadmill 5 by lifting it from the support arm 64. Specifically, a belt 911 that is attached to the torso, buttocks, and thighs of the subject T and extends above the shoulders.
A body suit 91 provided with, a wire 92 for pulling the subject T upward from the upper end portion of the belt 911 in a state where the body suit 91 is worn, a winch 93 provided on the support column 62 or the like to draw the wire 92, and a support A pulley 94 is provided on the arm 64 and slidably supports an intermediate length position of the wire 92. By providing the body lifting means 9 as described above, the subject T can be suspended in mid air and only the legs can be operated on the treadmill 5, or the brain activity can be measured by the body weight support method or the legs can be moved. It is possible to measure brain activity during rehabilitation for functional recovery.

According to the brain activity measuring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment and the head mounting tool 4 applied to it, the optical fiber group 3 balances the weight with the weight balancer 8 at the intermediate length position. Since it is lifted by the lifting means 7, the load due to the weight of the optical fiber group 3 is applied to the head mounting tool 4.
The effect on the measurement result of the brain activity due to the load of the optical fiber group 3 acting on the head of the subject T as well as the discomfort felt by the subject T through the Can be eliminated or reduced as much as possible. Further, the optical fiber group 3 includes a weight balancer 8
Since it is slidably supported by the pulley 71 via the wire rod 72 while maintaining balance with the treadmill 5,
Even if the optical fiber group 3 sways when the subject T walks or runs, the influence on the brain activity of the subject T due to it can be eliminated or reduced.

The body of the subject T is treadmill 5
Since it is in the state of being suspended by the body suspending means 9 above, it is extremely suitable for measuring the brain activity corresponding to the movement of the legs, and is very useful for neurorehabilitation.

Experiment (I. Miyai et.al, NeuroImage 14,118
6-1192 (2001)) succeeded in imaging the activity pattern of the cerebral cortex of the subject T when walking using this brain activity measuring device 1, and as a result, during human walking, the inner primary sensorimotor An increase in oxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin was observed in both the cortex and the supplementary motor cortex. In addition, activation of a narrower region was observed in both of the inner primary sensory motor cortex and the supplementary motor cortex when the legs were alternately moved. Furthermore, activation of the caudal side of the supplementary motor area was observed when walking was imaged without actually moving the foot. From the above measurement results, it is possible to clarify the activity pattern of the cerebral cortex that governs human motion, and the present brain activity measuring device 1 is useful for diagnosing the brain activity pattern for gait during movement disorders and rehabilitation. I was able to show that there is.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made to the specific configurations of the respective parts without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0035]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above in detail, the present invention provides NIR.
In the measurement of the brain activity using the S method, the optical fiber group extending from the head-mounted device attached to the subject's head to the control unit is suspended by the suspending means at the intermediate position, which has been conventionally used. The weight of the fiber group can eliminate or reduce the load acting on the head of the subject, so that the discomfort felt by the subject and the influence on the brain activity due to the load of the optical fiber group on the head can be reduced. It can be eliminated or at least reduced as much as possible. As a result, it is possible to dramatically and accurately measure brain activity during exercise of the subject. In particular, by fixing a part of the optical fiber group to a part of the head attachment that corresponds to the occipital region of the subject, the stability of the optical fiber group can be improved. Furthermore, if a pulley is provided in the lifting means and the weight balancer is lifted through this pulley so that the weight of the optical fiber group is balanced with the weight of the weight balancer, the accuracy of brain activity measurement during exercise is further improved. can do.

In addition to the above configuration, a functional image of the brain is generated or processed based on the measured value of the near infrared rays reflected by the subject's head, so that the brain function during exercise can be improved. It can be very useful for diagnosis and neurorehabilitation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a whole brain activity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the back of a subject.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the brain activity measuring device is viewed from the side of a subject.

FIG. 3 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of a control unit in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the head mounting device applied to the embodiment is viewed from the rear.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Brain activity measuring device 2 ... Control unit 3 ... Optical fiber group 4 ... Head fitting 5 ... treadmill 7 ... Lifting means 8 ... Weight balancer 9 ... Body lifting means

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Ichiro Sase             4-2-1 Kanaikitamachi, Koganei City, Tokyo Independent             Communications Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Hideo Eda             4-2-1 Kanaikitamachi, Koganei City, Tokyo Independent             Communications Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Ichiro Oda             1st Nishinokyo Kuwabara-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City Stock Association             Inside the Shimadzu factory (72) Inventor Ikuo Konishi             1st Nishinokyo Kuwabara-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City Stock Association             Inside the Shimadzu factory (72) Inventor Yoshio Tsunazawa             1st Nishinokyo Kuwabara-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City Stock Association             Inside the Shimadzu factory (72) Inventor Tsunehiko Suzuki             1-6-5 Higashi-Nakahama, Joto-ku, Osaka             Corporate Street Association Bobath Memorial Hospital (72) Inventor Toshio Yanagida             4-2-1 Kanaikitamachi, Koganei City, Tokyo Independent             Communications Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Kubota             1-6-5 Higashi-Nakahama, Joto-ku, Osaka             Corporate Street Association Bobath Memorial Hospital F term (reference) 2G059 AA05 BB12 CC18 EE02 EE11                       FF01 GG01 GG03 HH01 HH06                       JJ17 KK02 MM03 MM09 PP04                 4C017 AA11 AB06 AC28 BC11 CC03                       FF30                 4C038 KK01 KL05 KL07 KM00 KX01                       KX02 KY01 KY03 KY04

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A brain activity measuring device for measuring brain activity using near infrared spectroscopy by irradiating a subject's head with near infrared light and measuring the near infrared light reflected by the subject's brain. A control unit that controls irradiation, detection, measurement, etc. of near-infrared rays, an irradiation optical fiber that is controlled by the control unit and transmits the irradiated near-infrared rays to the head of the subject, and a control unit that controls near-infrared rays reflected by the brain of the subject. Optical fiber group consisting of a plurality of optical fibers for detection to be transmitted to the head, a head mounting tool mounted on the head of the subject and holding one end of the optical fiber group, and head mounting of the optical fiber group The hoisting means for hoisting an intermediate portion between the tool-side end and the control-side end, and the hoisting means having a weight substantially equal to the weight of the optical fiber group hoisted by the hoisting means. A brain activity measuring apparatus, comprising: a weight balancer. 2. A brain activity measuring device for measuring brain activity by using near infrared spectroscopy by irradiating a subject's head with near infrared light and measuring the near infrared light reflected by the subject's brain. A control unit that controls irradiation, detection, measurement, etc. of near-infrared rays, an irradiation optical fiber that is controlled by the control unit and transmits the irradiated near-infrared rays to the head of the subject, and a control unit that controls near-infrared rays reflected by the brain of the subject. An optical fiber group formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers consisting of detection optical fibers to be transmitted to, and an end portion of the optical fiber group having an occipital region covering portion that is attached to the head of a subject and covers the occipital region or the crown. A head mounting tool that holds and fixes one end of the optical fiber group near the occipital region covering portion, and an intermediate position between the fixed position in the occipital region covering portion of the optical fiber group and the end portion on the control unit side. A brain activity measuring device comprising: a suspending means for suspending a part; and a weight balancer that has a weight substantially equal to the weight of the optical fiber group suspended by the suspending means and is suspended by the suspending means. 3. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hoisting means comprises a pulley that distributes the optical fiber group and the weight balancer and slidably supports them. 4. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the subject is equipped with a treadmill capable of operating the legs at substantially fixed positions. 5. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 4, further comprising a body lifting means for supporting at least a leg portion of the subject above the treadmill and supporting the body in a suspended state. 6. The control unit indicates or suggests dynamics such as distribution and concentration change of a parameter substance, which is a substance contributing to brain function, based on near infrared rays reflected by the brain and detected through an optical fiber for detection. 6. The brain activity measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a parameter substance kinetics data generation unit that generates the parameter substance kinetics data; and a display unit that displays the generated parameter substance kinetics data. 7. The control unit further comprises a brain functional image data processing unit for processing the parameter substance dynamics data generated by the parameter substance dynamics data generating unit as brain functional image data, and the display unit has a brain functional image. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 6, which has a function of displaying brain function image data processed by the data processing means. 8. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit further comprises brain function image data storage means for storing brain function image data processed by the parameter substance dynamics data processing means. 9. The display means displays the brain functional image data processed by the brain functional image data processing means in an overlapping manner with the brain morphological image data or the brain functional image data generated by another medical image diagnostic apparatus. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 7, which has a function. 10. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the brain function image data is an image showing hemodynamic changes in the brain of the subject. 11. The parameter substance kinetic data generating means generates hemoglobin kinetic data indicating kinetics of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin as parameter substances, and the displaying means generates the generated hemoglobin kinetic data by the blood circulation. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 10, which is displayed as an image showing a dynamic change. 12. The brain activity according to claim 11, wherein the control unit irradiates and detects near-infrared rays having at least two wavelengths having different molecular absorption coefficients of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin. Measuring device. 13. A control unit combines, extracts, or extracts each hemoglobin kinetic data based on detected near infrared rays of two or more different wavelengths, or each image showing hemodynamic change based on each hemoglobin kinetic data. 13. The brain activity measuring device according to claim 12, further comprising arithmetic processing means for performing arithmetic processing such as conversion. 14. A brain activity measuring device for measuring brain activity using near infrared spectroscopy by irradiating a subject's head with near infrared light and measuring the near infrared light reflected by the subject's brain. A control unit that controls irradiation, detection, measurement, etc. of near-infrared rays, an irradiation optical fiber that is controlled by the control unit and transmits the irradiated near-infrared rays to the head of the subject, and a control unit that controls near-infrared rays reflected by the brain of the subject. An optical fiber group that bundles a plurality of optical fibers consisting of a detection optical fiber to be transmitted to, a lifting means for lifting an intermediate portion between the end portion on the subject side and the end portion on the control unit side of the optical fiber group,
In the head mounting part, which is used with a weight balancer having a weight substantially equal to the weight of the optical fiber group suspended by the suspension means and suspended by the suspension means, and a head mounting portion to be mounted on the head of the subject. A head mount for brain activity measurement, characterized in that a holding part for holding one end of the optical fiber group is formed. 15. A occipital covering portion is formed on a portion covering the occipital region or the crown of the subject, and the occipital portion covering portion has fixing means for fixing the vicinity of one end portion of the optical fiber group on the subject side. 14. The head attachment for measuring brain activity according to 14. 16. The head mounting part is mainly made of a thermoplastic material, and the thermoplastic material is heated and softened, and then covered on the head of the test subject and then cured, whereby the head of the test subject is cured. The brain activity measuring head attachment according to claim 14 or 15, which has a shape corresponding to the shape of.