JP2009195326A - Real-time and simultaneous measuring apparatus, method and program of near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalogram - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that conventionally, a blood flow change and an electric signal caused by the brain activity cannot be simultaneously measured in real time, thereby insufficiently obtaining the state of brain. <P>SOLUTION: The state of brain can be highly accurately obtained by an information processor which includes a hemoglobin information receiving section for sequentially receiving hemoglobin information from a NIRS brain measuring apparatus, a brain wave information receiving section sequentially receiving brain wave information from the brain wave measuring apparatus, a synchronizing section executing a process for synchronizing the hemoglobin information with the hemoglobin information, and an output section for outputting the synchronized hemoglobin information and brain wave information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that acquires and outputs NIRS measurement information and EEG measurement information in synchronization.

  Conventionally, there has been an apparatus for measuring brain activity using the NIRS method (near infrared spectroscopy) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Hereinafter, the NIRS method will be described.

  First, hemoglobin plays a role in transporting oxygen in the blood. Since the hemoglobin concentration contained in the blood increases or decreases according to the expansion / contraction of the blood vessel, it is known to detect the expansion / contraction of the blood vessel by measuring the hemoglobin concentration.

  In view of this, there has been known a biological measurement method in which the inside of a living body is simply and non-invasively measured using light by utilizing the fact that the hemoglobin concentration corresponds to the oxygen metabolism function inside the living body. The hemoglobin concentration is determined from the amount of light obtained through the living body by irradiating the living body with light having a wavelength from visible light to the near infrared region.

  Furthermore, hemoglobin is combined with oxygen to become oxyhemoglobin (hereinafter also referred to as “oxyHb”), and away from oxygen to be deoxyhemoglobin (hereinafter also referred to as “deoxyHb”). It is also known that in the brain, oxygen is supplied to a site activated by blood flow redistribution, and the concentration of oxyhemoglobin combined with oxygen increases. Therefore, it can be applied to the observation of brain activity by measuring the oxyhemoglobin concentration. Since oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin have different spectral absorption spectrum characteristics from visible light to near-infrared region, for example, oxyhemoglobin concentration and deoxyhemoglobin concentration can be obtained using near-infrared light.

  Therefore, in order to measure brain activity non-invasively, an optical biometric apparatus (NIRS method) including a light transmitting probe and a light receiving probe has been developed. In the optical biometric apparatus, the brain is irradiated with near-infrared light by a light-transmitting probe placed on the subject's head skin surface, and emitted from the brain by a light-receiving probe placed on the head skin surface. Detect the amount of near infrared light. Near-infrared light passes through the head skin tissue and bone tissue and is absorbed by oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in the blood. Therefore, by using the light-transmitting probe and the light-receiving probe to obtain the received light amount information, the oxyhemoglobin concentration and deoxyhemoglobin concentration at the measurement site of the brain, as well as the temporal change in the total hemoglobin concentration calculated from these, are used as measurement data. Can be sought. From these, brain activation can be measured.

  Conventionally, there has been an apparatus for measuring brain activity using the EEG method (electroencephalogram) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Note that EEG is an abbreviation for “Electroencephalography” and refers to an electroencephalogram. The EEG method is a method in which an electrical change in the brain caused by brain activity is safely examined from the outside as a potential difference on the scalp.

Conventionally, there has been a head tool for performing EEG measurement in the head (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-322612 (first page, FIG. 1, etc.) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-261710 (first page, FIG. 1 etc.) Sadao Ichijo et al., “Chapter 101 on EEG Interpretation”, Medical School, May 1999

  However, conventionally, NIRS measurement information and EEG measurement information are acquired in synchronization, and the NIRS measurement information and EEG measurement information cannot be displayed in synchronization in real time. Therefore, there has been a problem that the brain activity state cannot be grasped simultaneously in real time using NIRS and EEG. More specifically, conventionally, blood flow changes caused by brain activity and electrical signals cannot be measured simultaneously and in real time, and the state of the brain cannot be sufficiently grasped.

  An information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that constitutes an information processing system including a NIRS brain measurement apparatus, an electroencephalogram measurement apparatus, and an information processing apparatus, wherein the NIRS brain measurement apparatus An electroencephalogram measurement apparatus comprising: a hemoglobin information acquisition unit that sequentially acquires hemoglobin information that is information relating to the amount of hemoglobin in the head; and a hemoglobin information transmission unit that sequentially transmits the hemoglobin information to the information processing device. Comprises an electroencephalogram information acquisition unit that sequentially acquires electroencephalogram information that is information relating to the electroencephalogram of the subject, and an electroencephalogram information transmission unit that sequentially transmits the electroencephalogram information to the information processing apparatus, An apparatus includes: a hemoglobin information receiving unit that sequentially receives the hemoglobin information; an electroencephalogram information receiving unit that sequentially receives the electroencephalogram information; An information processing apparatus constituting an information processing system including a synchronization processing unit that performs processing for synchronizing hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information, and an output unit that outputs the synchronized hemoglobin information and electroencephalogram information. is there.

  With this configuration, the state of the brain can be grasped with high accuracy while displaying the NIRS measurement information and the EEG measurement information in real time, the change in the blood flow of the brain that the NIRS is measuring, and the electricity of the brain that the EEG is measuring The relationship of activities can be clarified.

  The information processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is the first sampling frequency at which the hemoglobin information acquisition unit acquires hemoglobin information, and the electroencephalogram information acquisition unit acquires electroencephalogram information, relative to the first invention. Unlike the second sampling frequency, the synchronization processing unit directly acquires hemoglobin information or electroencephalogram information corresponding to the larger sampling frequency of the first sampling frequency and the second sampling frequency, and the smaller sampling frequency For the electroencephalogram information or hemoglobin information corresponding to the frequency, copy the information received closest in time or exclude the received information so that the number of information is the same as the information of the larger sampling frequency. Information processing device that synchronizes the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information by insertion or interpolation It is.

  With this configuration, the difference in specifications between the NIRS brain measurement apparatus and the electroencephalogram measurement apparatus can be absorbed, and the brain state can be grasped with high accuracy.

  Further, in the information processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, in contrast to the first aspect, the information processing system further includes a biological information acquisition apparatus, and the biological information acquisition apparatus includes one or more locations of the subject. A biological information acquisition unit that sequentially acquires biological information that is information about the biological body, and a biological information transmission unit that sequentially transmits the biological information to the information processing device, A biological information receiving unit that sequentially receives biological information; and the synchronization processing unit of the information processing device performs processing for synchronizing the hemoglobin information, the brain wave information, and the biological information, and the output unit. Is an information processing device that outputs the synchronized hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and biological information.

  With this configuration, biological information at the time of measuring brain activity can be used, and the state of the brain can be grasped with higher accuracy. For example, artifact removal using biological information such as myoelectric information, electrooculogram information, or electrocardiographic information is suitable.

  Further, in the information processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the invention, in contrast to the third aspect of the invention, the biological information acquisition unit is myoelectric information that is information on myoelectricity from the whole body or a part of the subject, or The information processing apparatus sequentially acquires electrooculogram information, which is information related to electrocardiogram around the subject's eyes, or electrocardiogram information, which is information related to electrocardiogram around the subject's heart.

  With this configuration, artifacts such as biological information that becomes noise during brain activity measurement, such as myoelectric information, electrooculogram information, and electrocardiographic information, can be removed, and the state of the brain can be grasped with higher accuracy.

  According to the information processing system of the present invention, it is possible to use NIRS that measures blood flow change caused by brain activity and EEG that measures electrical activity caused by brain activity simultaneously and in real time, In addition to accurately grasping the state of the brain, it is possible to investigate the relationship between changes in blood flow and electrical activity caused by brain activity that was impossible with existing technology.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing system and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again.
(Embodiment 1)

  In the present embodiment, an information processing system that acquires and outputs NIRS measurement information and EEG measurement information in synchronization will be described. In the present embodiment, an information processing system that acquires and outputs NIRS measurement information, EEG measurement information, and electromyograph measurement values will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information processing system in the present embodiment. The information processing system includes a NIRS brain measurement device 1, an electroencephalogram measurement device 2, a biological information acquisition device 3, and an information processing device 4.

  The NIRS brain measurement apparatus 1 includes a hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 and a hemoglobin information transmission unit 12. The electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2 includes an electroencephalogram information acquisition unit 21 and an electroencephalogram information transmission unit 22. The biometric information acquisition device 3 includes a biometric information acquisition unit 31 and a biometric information transmission unit 32. The information processing apparatus 4 includes a hemoglobin information receiving unit 41, an electroencephalogram information receiving unit 42, a myoelectric information receiving unit 43, a synchronization processing unit 44, and an output unit 45. The biometric information acquisition unit 31 includes a myoelectric information acquisition unit 311, an electrooculogram information acquisition unit 312, and an electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 313.

  The NIRS brain measurement apparatus 1 is an apparatus that applies the principle of “optical functional imaging”, which performs near-infrared brain function mapping from the scalp using near infrared light.

  The hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 sequentially acquires hemoglobin information that is information related to the amount of hemoglobin in the head of one subject. The hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 sequentially acquires hemoglobin information at the first sampling frequency. The first sampling frequency is usually different from the second sampling frequency described later. The first sampling frequency is 40 Hz, for example. Since the hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 can be realized by a known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the data structure of hemoglobin information is not ask | required. The hemoglobin information may be a hemoglobin amount or a voltage for calculating the hemoglobin amount. An example of hemoglobin information will be described later.

  The hemoglobin information transmission unit 12 sequentially transmits the hemoglobin information acquired by the hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 to the information processing device 4. The hemoglobin information transmitting unit 12 is usually realized by a wireless or wired communication unit, but may be realized by a broadcasting unit.

  The electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2 is an apparatus that measures an electroencephalogram. As a device having a function of measuring an electroencephalogram, for example, there is a device (ActiveTwo system) manufactured by BioSemi.

  The electroencephalogram information acquisition unit 21 sequentially acquires electroencephalogram information, which is information related to the subject's electroencephalogram. The electroencephalogram information acquisition unit 21 sequentially acquires electroencephalogram information at the second sampling frequency. The second sampling frequency is, for example, 1024 Hz. Since the electroencephalogram information acquisition unit 21 can be realized by a known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted. The electroencephalogram information is, for example, a potential difference on the scalp (the unit is, for example, “microvolt”).

  The electroencephalogram information transmission unit 22 sequentially transmits the electroencephalogram information acquired by the electroencephalogram information acquisition unit 21 to the information processing apparatus 4. The electroencephalogram information transmission unit 22 is usually realized by a wireless or wired communication means, but may be realized by a broadcasting means.

  The biological information acquisition device 3 is a device that acquires biological information. The biological information will be described later.

  The biometric information acquisition unit 31 sequentially acquires biometric information that is information related to the living body from one or more locations of the subject. Here, the biological information is information including one or more information of myoelectric information, ocular information, and electrocardiographic information. The myoelectric information is information on myoelectric (EMG) that can be acquired from the whole body or a part of the body of the subject. The electrooculogram information is information relating to electrooculogram (EOG) that can be acquired from around the eye of the subject. Further, the electrocardiogram information is information relating to an electrocardiogram (ECG) that can be acquired from the periphery of the subject's heart. Moreover, since the biometric information acquisition unit 31 can be realized by a known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The myoelectric information acquisition unit 311 sequentially acquires myoelectric information from the whole body or a part of the subject's body. As shown in FIG. 2, the myoelectric information acquisition unit 311 preferably acquires myoelectric information sequentially from four locations on the left and right arms of the subject.

  As shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the electrooculogram information acquisition unit 312 sequentially acquires the electrooculogram information from four locations on the face of the subject.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 313 preferably acquires the electrocardiogram information sequentially from the periphery of the subject's heart.

  In addition, the small rectangle (5) of FIG. 2 is an electrode for acquiring myoelectric information, electrooculogram information, or electrocardiogram information. In FIG. 2, the number of channels of hemoglobin information acquired by the NIRS brain measurement apparatus 1 is 48, for example. That is, the number of signals flowing through Line 6 is 48. Moreover, the number of channels of the electroencephalogram information acquired by the electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2 is 64, for example. That is, the number of signals flowing through Line 7 is 64. Further, the myoelectric information is, for example, an action potential generated when a muscle fiber is excited. Needless to say, the number of channels of hemoglobin information acquired by the NIRS brain measurement apparatus 1 and the number of channels of brain wave information acquired by the electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2 are not limited to the number of channels described above.

  The biometric information transmission unit 32 sequentially transmits the myoelectric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit 31 to the information processing device 4. The biological information transmitting unit 32 is usually realized by a wireless or wired communication unit, but may be realized by a broadcasting unit.

  Note that the biological information acquisition apparatus 3 may be physically integrated with the electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2.

  The information processing device 4 is a device that synchronizes and outputs hemoglobin information and brain wave information. The information processing device 4 is preferably a device that synchronizes and outputs hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and myoelectric information.

  The hemoglobin information receiving unit 41 sequentially receives hemoglobin information. The electroencephalogram information receiving unit 42 sequentially receives the electroencephalogram information. The myoelectric information receiving unit 43 sequentially receives myoelectric information.

  The hemoglobin information receiving unit 41, the electroencephalogram information receiving unit 42, and the myoelectric information receiving unit 43 are usually realized by wireless or wired communication means, but may be realized by means for receiving broadcasts.

  The synchronization processing unit 44 performs processing for synchronizing hemoglobin information and brain wave information. Further, the synchronization processing unit 44 may perform processing for synchronizing hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and biological information. Note that the biological information includes one or more types of information among myoelectric information, ocular information, and electrocardiographic information as described above. The process of obtaining synchronization is, for example, a process of matching the number of information for two or more types of information sampled at different sampling frequencies (for example, hemoglobin information and brain wave information). Moreover, the process which takes a synchronization is a process which adjusts the timing when the acquisition of information was started, for example. As a process for adjusting the start timing, for example, for two or more types of information, the information before the start is deleted and the heads of the information are aligned. In such a case, start information is written in hemoglobin information, electroencephalogram information, and biological information, respectively. The process of obtaining synchronization is, for example, a process of checking a synchronization signal for two or more types of information and matching the timing of two or more types of information using the synchronization signal. In this case, synchronization signals are written in hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and biological information, respectively.

  More specifically, for example, the synchronization processing unit 44 directly acquires hemoglobin information or brain wave information corresponding to the larger sampling frequency of the first sampling frequency and the second sampling frequency, and the smaller sampling frequency. For the electroencephalogram information or hemoglobin information corresponding to, by copying the information received closest in time so as to be the same number of information as the larger sampling frequency information, the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information Take synchronization. In such a case, the synchronization processing unit 44 matches the first sampling data using, for example, the start flag included in the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information. In addition, the synchronization processing unit 44 extrapolates or interpolates the received information to obtain information on the larger sampling frequency for the electroencephalogram information or hemoglobin information corresponding to the smaller sampling frequency. Both data may be synchronized so that the same number of information is obtained. Since extrapolation or interpolation processing is a known technique, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Further, the synchronization processing unit 44 may synchronize the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information by other methods. That is, for example, the synchronization processing unit 44 directly acquires hemoglobin information or electroencephalogram information corresponding to the smaller sampling frequency of the first sampling frequency and the second sampling frequency, and the electroencephalogram corresponding to the larger sampling frequency. The information or hemoglobin information is acquired by thinning out the information so that the same number of information as the information of the smaller sampling frequency is obtained. Even in such a case, similarly to the above, the synchronization processing unit 44 uses the start flag included in the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information, for example, to match the first sampling data.

  The synchronization processing unit 44 is usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the synchronization processing unit 44 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The output unit 45 outputs the synchronized hemoglobin information and brain wave information. The output unit 45 may output the synchronized hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and myoelectric information. Here, output refers to display on a display, projection using a projector, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, storage in a recording medium, other processing device or other program, etc. It is a concept that includes the delivery of information. Note that the synchronized hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and the like can be used, for example, to estimate the intention of a disabled person who cannot speak. In addition, the synchronized hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and the like can be used to estimate the state of the subject's brain, for example. In addition, the method of using synchronized hemoglobin information and brain wave information is not limited. The output unit 45 may be considered as including or not including an output device such as a display or a speaker. The output unit 45 can be realized by output device driver software, or output device driver software and an output device.

  Next, the operation of the information processing system will be described. The NIRS brain measurement apparatus 1, the electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2, and the biological information acquisition apparatus 3 sequentially acquire corresponding information at a predetermined sampling frequency and transmit the information to the information processing apparatus 4.

  Next, the operation of the information processing apparatus 4 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S301) The hemoglobin information receiving unit 41, the electroencephalogram information receiving unit 42, or the myoelectric information receiving unit 43 determines whether information has been received. If information is received, it will go to step S302, and if information is not received, it will go to step S305.

  (Step S302) The synchronization processing unit 44 performs synchronization processing. An example of the synchronization process will be described with reference to FIGS.

  (Step S303) The output unit 45 determines whether there is synchronized information. If the information exists, the process goes to step S304, and if the information does not exist, the process returns to step S301.

  (Step S304) The output unit 45 outputs the synchronized information (“hemoglobin information and electroencephalogram information” or “hemoglobin information, electroencephalogram information and electromyography information”), and returns to step S301.

  (Step S305) A means not shown (for example, a reception unit) determines whether an end instruction has been received. If an end instruction is accepted, the process ends. If no end instruction is accepted, the process returns to step S301.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 3, the information processing apparatus 4 may receive and process only hemoglobin information and brain wave information. In such a case, the myoelectric information receiving unit 43 is not necessary.

  Next, a first example of the synchronization processing in step S302 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The first synchronization processing is an example in which synchronization processing is performed immediately after information is received.

  (Step S401) The synchronization processing unit 44 determines whether or not there is information of a type not received (one or two of hemoglobin information, brain wave information, or myoelectric information). If there is a type of information that has not been received, the process goes to step S402, and if not, the process goes to step S403.

  (Step S402) The synchronization processing unit 44 copies the recently received information for the type of information that has not been received. By the copy process, the number of all types of information becomes the same. In other words, the sampling frequency for acquiring information becomes pseudo-identical for all types of information by the copy process.

  (Step S403) The synchronization processing unit 44 writes all types of information (hemoglobin information and electroencephalogram information, or hemoglobin information and electroencephalogram information and electromyogram information) in the shared memory, and returns to step S401. The shared memory is a shared data holding area on the memory or file. The shared memory is a storage medium held by the information processing apparatus 4 and is a storage medium accessible from one or more applications and devices (not shown).

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the synchronization processing unit 44 writes the information in the shared memory in step S <b> 403, but may perform other processing on the information, such as passing it to the output unit 45.

  Next, a second example of the synchronization processing in step S302 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The second synchronization process is an example in which the synchronization process is performed when information is output.

  (Step S501) The synchronization processing unit 44 writes the received information in different areas of the shared memory for each type. The type of information is, for example, hemoglobin information, brain wave information, or myoelectric information. Further, for example, it is assumed that a writing area is determined in advance for each type of information.

  (Step S502) The synchronization processing unit 44 determines whether it is the output timing of information. If it is the output timing, the process goes to step S503, and if it is not the output timing, the process returns to the upper process. For example, the information processing device 4 determines whether it is the output timing using a clock held by itself. For example, the information processing apparatus 4 outputs information periodically (for example, every 10 msec).

  (Step S503) The synchronization processing unit 44 reads information for a predetermined time from the shared memory from the current pointer for accessing the information. The synchronization processing unit 44 reads all types of information for each type of information and arranges them on the memory. When information is read, the pointer for accessing the information moves to the next read position.

  (Step S504) The synchronization processing unit 44 determines whether or not a start bit for synchronization exists in the information read out in step S503. If there is a start bit, the process goes to step S505, and if there is no start bit, the process goes to step S507.

  (Step S505) The synchronization processing unit 44 deletes information before the start bit for all types of information.

  (Step S506) For all types of information, the synchronization processing unit 44 reads information for a predetermined time from the start bit from the shared memory and arranges it on the memory.

  (Step S507) The synchronization processing unit 44 acquires the maximum number of information (X) from all types of information.

  (Step S508) The synchronization processing unit 44 performs a complementing process on information of a type that is not the maximum number of information so as to match the number of information (X). Complementary processing is to copy, extrapolate, or interpolate recently received information so that the number of information (X) is reached. Return to upper process.

  Hereinafter, a specific operation of the information processing system in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 6 shows a measuring instrument that the subject puts on the head. In FIG. 6, the hardware configuration of the hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 and the electroencephalogram information acquisition unit 21 is shown. The hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 acquires, for example, a voltage when the near infrared light of 780 nm, 805 nm, and 830 nm is emitted and applied to the head, and a voltage when the light is not emitted, and the acquired voltage is Substituting into a predetermined formula (formula for calculating the amount of hemoglobin), the hemoglobin information that is the amount of hemoglobin is acquired. Moreover, the hemoglobin information acquisition part 11 acquires hemoglobin information from 48 channels (in FIG. 6, 48 measurement points exist), for example. The hemoglobin information acquisition unit 11 holds information of a predetermined formula.

  Further, hereinafter, the information processing apparatus 4 sequentially receives the hemoglobin information illustrated in FIG. 7 from the NIRS brain measurement apparatus 1, for example. Further, the information processing apparatus 4 sequentially receives the electroencephalogram information shown in FIG. 8 from the electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2, for example. In FIG. 7, hemoglobin information is received every 8 msec. In FIG. 8, the electroencephalogram information is received every 2 msec. 7 and 8, it can be seen that the first sampling frequency for acquiring hemoglobin information in the NIRS brain measurement apparatus 1 is different from the second sampling frequency for acquiring brain wave information in the electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 2. Here, the first sampling frequency and the second sampling frequency are 1: 4. FIG. 9 is a graph of the information in FIGS. 7 and 8.

  Next, the synchronization processing unit 44 performs the following synchronization processing, for example, every 2 msec. That is, when both electroencephalogram information and hemoglobin information are received, the synchronization processing unit 44 writes both pieces of information in the shared memory. When only the brain wave information is received, the synchronization processing unit 44 writes the brain wave information to the shared memory and complements the hemoglobin information. Such complementation, for example, writes recently received hemoglobin information into the shared memory. By such processing, the synchronization processing unit 44 obtains synchronized brain wave information and hemoglobin information. That is, the synchronization processing unit 44 obtains brain wave information and hemoglobin information as shown in the graph of FIG.

  Next, the output unit 45 outputs the synchronized brain wave information and hemoglobin information. An example of such output is shown in FIG. Note that the output unit 45 may deliver the information of FIG. 11 that is information for configuring the graph of FIG. 10 to, for example, another processing apparatus or another program.

  In FIGS. 7 and 8, etc., the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information are information obtained from one channel each. However, hemoglobin information and electroencephalogram information are usually acquired from two or more channels.

  In the specific example, the synchronization processing unit 44 performs processing for synchronizing the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information. However, with the same algorithm, it is preferable that the synchronization processing unit 44 performs processing for synchronizing hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and myoelectric information.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, NIRS that measures blood flow changes caused by brain activity and EEG that measures electrical activities caused by brain activity can be acquired simultaneously and in synchronization, and used in real time. This makes it possible not only to grasp the state of the brain with high accuracy, but also to investigate the relationship between blood flow changes caused by brain activity and electrical activity, which was impossible with existing technology. In addition, according to the present embodiment, hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and biological information can be acquired simultaneously and in synchronization, and can be used in real time. It is possible to investigate the relationship between blood flow changes caused by brain activity and electrical activity, which was impossible with existing technology.

  Specifically, for example, hemoglobin information and brain wave information can be acquired simultaneously and in synchronization, and used in real time, for example, and can be used for rehabilitation. In other words, if a patient who has damaged a part of the brain tries to move his / her hand or foot at his / her own will and does not move, this information processing system works with the brain activity out of normal or abnormal state. It can be understood that the rehabilitation motivation can be maintained.

  In addition, the information processing system can be used for sports image training, for example. That is, when the user is performing image training, it can be determined whether or not the brain activity is in the state of image training, which contributes to performing appropriate image training.

  Furthermore, the information processing system can be used for training for controlling user's emotions, for example. In other words, it is possible to know in real time that there is an increase in emotion and to train to suppress the increase in emotion.

  In the present embodiment, any algorithm is not required for synchronization.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, there can be various utilization modes of synchronized hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the information processing system may acquire a plurality of pieces of hemoglobin information by connecting a plurality of NIRS brain measurement apparatuses 1.

  In the specific example of the present embodiment, hemoglobin information and brain wave information are acquired simultaneously and in synchronization, and output in real time. However, the information processing system may acquire hemoglobin information (NIRS), brain wave information, and biological information (for example, EMG) simultaneously and in synchronization, and may output in real time. An output example in this case is shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the processing in the present embodiment may be realized by software. Then, this software may be distributed by software download or the like. Further, this software may be recorded and distributed on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. This also applies to other embodiments in this specification. Note that the software that implements the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is the following program. In other words, this program causes the computer to sequentially synchronize the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information with the hemoglobin information receiver that sequentially receives the hemoglobin information, the electroencephalogram information receiver that sequentially receives the electroencephalogram information, and the electroencephalogram information. And a program for functioning as an output unit for outputting the synchronized hemoglobin information and brain wave information.

  FIG. 13 shows the external appearance of a computer that executes the program described in this specification and realizes the information processing apparatus and the like according to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiments can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon. FIG. 13 is an overview diagram of the computer system 340, and FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the computer system 340. As shown in FIG.

  13, a computer system 340 includes a computer 341 including an FD (Floppy Disk (registered trademark)) drive 3411 and a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) drive 3412, a keyboard 342, a mouse 343, a monitor 344, and the like. including.

  In FIG. 14, in addition to the FD drive 3411 and the CD-ROM drive 3412, a computer 341 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 3413, a bus 3414 connected to the CD-ROM drive 3412 and the FD drive 3411, and a boot-up program. ROM 3415 for storing programs such as RAM, RAM (Random Access Memory) 3416 for temporarily storing application program instructions and providing a temporary storage space, connected to CPU 3413, application programs, system programs, And a hard disk 3417 for storing data. Although not shown here, the computer 341 may further include a network card that provides connection to the LAN.

  A program that causes the computer system 340 to execute the functions of the information processing apparatus and the like of the above-described embodiment is stored in the CD-ROM 3501 or the FD 3502, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 3412 or the FD drive 3411, and further the hard disk 3417. May be transferred to. Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the computer 341 via a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 3417. The program is loaded into the RAM 3416 at the time of execution. The program may be loaded directly from the CD-ROM 3501, the FD 3502, or the network.

  The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third-party program that causes the computer 341 to execute the functions of the information processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment. The program only needs to include an instruction portion that calls an appropriate function (module) in a controlled manner and obtains a desired result. How the computer system 340 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

  In the above program, in the transmission step for transmitting information, the reception step for receiving information, etc., processing performed by hardware, for example, processing performed by a modem or an interface card in the transmission step (only performed by hardware). Not included) is not included.

  Further, the computer that executes the program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  In each of the above embodiments, two or more communication means (hemoglobin information receiving unit 41, electroencephalogram information receiving unit 42, myoelectric information receiving unit 43, etc.) existing in one device are physically one medium. It goes without saying that it may be realized.

  In each of the above embodiments, each process (each function) may be realized by centralized processing by a single device (system), or by distributed processing by a plurality of devices. May be.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the information processing system according to the present invention has an effect of accurately grasping the state of the brain and is useful as a brain diagnosis system or the like.

Block diagram of an information processing system according to Embodiment 1 Conceptual diagram of the information processing system Flow chart for explaining the operation of the information processing apparatus A flowchart for explaining an example of the synchronization processing A flowchart for explaining an example of the synchronization processing The figure which shows the measuring instrument which the subject puts on the head The figure which shows the hemoglobin information which the information processing apparatus receives The figure which shows the electroencephalogram information which the information processing apparatus receives A graph showing information received by the information processing apparatus Graph after the synchronization process The figure which shows the information after the synchronous processing The figure which shows the example of the graph after the synchronous processing Overview of the computer system The figure which shows the internal configuration of the computer system

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 NIRS brain measurement apparatus 2 Electroencephalogram measurement apparatus 3 Biological information acquisition apparatus 4 Information processing apparatus 11 Hemoglobin information acquisition part 12 Hemoglobin information transmission part 21 EEG information acquisition part 22 EEG information transmission part 31 Biological information acquisition part 32 Myoelectric information transmission part 41 Hemoglobin information receiving unit 42 electroencephalogram information receiving unit 43 myoelectric information receiving unit 44 synchronization processing unit 45 output unit 311 myoelectric information acquiring unit 312 electrooculogram information acquiring unit 313 electrocardiographic information acquiring unit

Claims (6)

An information processing apparatus constituting an information processing system including a NIRS brain measurement apparatus, an electroencephalogram measurement apparatus, and an information processing apparatus,
The NIRS brain measurement device
A hemoglobin information acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring hemoglobin information, which is information relating to the amount of hemoglobin in the head of one subject,
A hemoglobin information transmitting unit that sequentially transmits the hemoglobin information to the information processing apparatus;
The electroencephalogram measuring device is:
An electroencephalogram information acquisition unit that sequentially acquires electroencephalogram information that is information on the subject's electroencephalogram,
An electroencephalogram information transmission unit that sequentially transmits the electroencephalogram information to the information processing device;
The information processing apparatus includes:
A hemoglobin information receiving unit for sequentially receiving the hemoglobin information;
An electroencephalogram information receiver that sequentially receives the electroencephalogram information;
A synchronization processing unit for performing processing for synchronizing the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information;
A near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalogram real-time simultaneous measurement apparatus that constitutes an information processing system comprising an output unit that outputs the synchronized hemoglobin information and electroencephalogram information. The first sampling frequency at which the hemoglobin information acquisition unit acquires hemoglobin information is different from the second sampling frequency at which the electroencephalogram information acquisition unit acquires brain wave information.
The synchronization processing unit
The hemoglobin information or electroencephalogram information corresponding to the larger one of the first sampling frequency and the second sampling frequency is directly acquired, and the electroencephalogram information or hemoglobin information corresponding to the smaller sampling frequency is obtained by sampling the larger one. The hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information are copied by copying the information received closest in time or extrapolating or interpolating the received information so as to be the same number of information as the frequency information. The near-infrared spectroscopy and brain wave real-time simultaneous measurement apparatus of Claim 1 which takes these. The information processing system includes:
Further comprising a biological information acquisition device,
The biological information acquisition device
A biological information acquisition unit that sequentially acquires biological information that is information about the living body from one or more locations of the subject;
A biological information transmission unit that sequentially transmits the biological information to the information processing apparatus;
The information processing apparatus includes:
A biometric information receiving unit for sequentially receiving the biometric information;
The synchronization processing unit of the information processing apparatus includes:
Perform processing to synchronize the hemoglobin information and the brain wave information and the biological information,
The output unit is
The near-infrared spectroscopy and brain wave real-time simultaneous measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synchronized hemoglobin information, brain wave information, and biological information are output. The biological information acquisition unit
With myoelectric information that is information about myoelectricity from the whole body of the subject or a part of the body, or electroocular information that is information about the electrocardiogram around the eye of the subject, or information about the electrocardiogram around the heart of the subject 4. The near-infrared spectroscopy and brain wave real-time simultaneous measurement apparatus according to claim 3, wherein certain electrocardiographic information is sequentially acquired. An information processing method that can be realized by a hemoglobin information receiving unit, an electroencephalogram information receiving unit, a synchronization processing unit, and an output unit,
A hemoglobin information receiving step for sequentially receiving hemoglobin information by the hemoglobin information receiving unit;
A brain wave information receiving step for sequentially receiving brain wave information by the brain wave information receiving unit;
A synchronization processing step for performing processing for synchronizing the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information by the synchronization processing unit;
A near-infrared spectroscopy method and a real-time simultaneous measurement method of brain waves, comprising an output step of outputting the synchronized hemoglobin information and brain wave information by the output unit. On the computer,
A hemoglobin information receiving unit for sequentially receiving hemoglobin information;
An electroencephalogram information receiving unit for sequentially receiving electroencephalogram information;
A synchronization processing unit for performing processing for synchronizing the hemoglobin information and the electroencephalogram information;
A program for functioning as an output unit for outputting the synchronized hemoglobin information and brain wave information.