Early Autism Diagnosis and Risk Assessment Using Complex Systems Analysis of EEG Signals
Inventors: William Bosl
Invention Types: Diagnostic/Prognostic, Information Technology/Software
Research Areas: Neurology/Neuroscience, Psychiatric Disease
Keywords: Autism, Pediatric, SoftwareFor More Information Contact: Yen, Alan
Dr. Bosl is developing a computer algorithm for diagnosis of autism in young children. Dr Bosl has obtained preliminary results in children as young as 12 months old. The algorithm analyzes EEG signals, which is thought to contain information about the neural architecture of the developing brain.
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects about 1.5 million Americans. Autism is a serious childhood disorder, affecting one out of 150 children in the US. Treatment costs in the US alone are over $35 billion per year and are estimated to increase to $200- $400 billion per year by 2013.
The technology is being developed for autism diagnosis and risk assessment in very young children from 9-24 months old and may be useful for assessing other cognitive developmental disorders.
Currently diagnosis for autism is based primarily on behavior and communication abilities that can be observed only after 2-3 years of age or older.
At this time there are no objective diagnostic tests for autism in infants and young children before 24 months of age, and simple screening tests are not available for routine use during well-baby checkups.
The cost of lifelong care can be reduced significantly through early diagnosis and intervention.
This technology is a computational algorithm that will enable autism risk assessment for very young children before they exhibit observable behavior or communication symptoms associated with the Autism.
License to algorithms and software
Key Publications: Bosl WJ, Tager-Flusberg H, Nelson CA. EEG analytics for early detection of autism spectrum disorder: A data-driven approach. Sci Rep. 2018 May 1;8(1):6828.
Bosl WJ, Tierney A, Tager-Flusberg H, Nelson CA. EEG complexity as a biomarker for autism spectrum disorder risk. BMC Med. 2011 Feb 22;9:18.
IPStatus: Pat. Pend.