Method for Detecting Nerve Fibers in a Brain of a Patient, Method for Diagnosing or Prognosing a Disease in a Patient and Method of Determining the Course of a Disease in a Patient

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This patent describes a method for detecting, analyzing, and tracking nerve fibers in specific brain regions (notably the locus coeruleus) using MRI imaging and computational algorithms. By determining the connections between brain regions and monitoring changes over time, the method aids in diagnosing, prognosing, and monitoring the progression of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, as well as assessing psychological characteristics in patients. The technique leverages neuromelanin-sensitive MRI and diffusion-weighted MRI, alongside specialized algorithms, to precisely measure and visualize nerve fiber connections.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Early and accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.
• Diagnosing and monitoring psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and ADHD.
• Prognostic assessment: estimating the likelihood of disease onset or progression.
• Monitoring disease progression or improvement over time in clinical and research settings.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions (e.g., pharmaceuticals, behavioral interventions) on brain connectivity.
• Assessment of psychological traits such as arousal capacity or stress responsiveness in scientific studies.
• Comparative studies of brain structure and function across populations for research and clinical trials.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables earlier and potentially more accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases.
• Allows tracking and monitoring of disease progression through objective, quantifiable imaging data.
• Provides insight into the relationship between brain structure (nerve fiber connectivity) and psychological or neurological symptoms.
• Supports personalized medicine by enabling patient-specific assessments and comparisons with normative data.
• Non-invasive and could be automated or semi-automated for use in diverse clinical and research settings.
• Can help validate and tailor therapeutic strategies based on observed changes in brain connectivity.
• Combines structural and functional brain data for a comprehensive assessment of brain health.

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Patent Abstract

In at least one embodiment, the method for detecting nerve fibers (NF) in a brain (B) of a patient comprises:- receiving position information indicative for the position of a certain brain region (BR) of the brain,- tracking nerve fibers starting from the position of the certain brain region in order to determine the nerve fibers connecting the certain brain region with other brain regions by using the position information and structural brain data, wherein- the structural brain data are indicative for the distribution of nerve fibers in the brain.