Determination of neuropsychiatric therapy mechanisms of action

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9198612-B2
Application number	US-16935008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2008
Priority date	Jul 8, 2008
Publication date	Dec 1, 2015
Grant date	Dec 1, 2015

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product of determining mechanisms of action for therapies. A first set of brain scans for each subject in a plurality of subjects generated at a first time period and a second set of brain scans for each subject generated at a second time period are received. Each subject is diagnosed with a given condition and received a given therapy. A set of changes in the set of brain scans is identified for the each subject based on a comparison of a first set of regions of interest in the first set of scans for each subject with a second set of regions of interest in the second set of scans for each subject. A set of typical changes attributable to the given therapy is identified. A mechanism of action for the given therapy is generated based on the set of typical changes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method of assessing neuroimaging and medical data to determine mechanisms of action for neuropsychiatric therapies, the computer implemented method comprising:
receiving, at a processor from a first non-transitory computer readable storage medium via a network connection, neuroimaging data of a first set of human brain scans for each human subject in a plurality of human subjects diagnosed with a given neuropsychiatric condition generated at a first time period prior to beginning implementation of a neuropsychiatric therapy to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition and a second set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition generated at a second time period of a given amount of time after beginning the implementation of the neuropsychiatric therapy to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition, wherein a set of one or more scanning devices generate the neuroimaging data of the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans, and wherein the neuropsychiatric therapy is received by the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition;
automatically searching, using the processor, via the network connection a set of online electronic medical literature sources stored in a second non-transitory computer readable storage medium for portions of medical literature describing the neuropsychiatric therapy used to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition, wherein the set of online electronic medical literature sources comprises at least one of published journal articles, medical study results, medical texts, or pharmaceutical studies;
automatically identifying, using the processor, a first set of regions of interest in the first set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition generated at the first time period prior to beginning the implementation of the neuropsychiatric therapy to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition and a second set of regions of interest in the second set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition generated at the second time period of the given amount of time after beginning the implementation of the neuropsychiatric therapy to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition;
identifying, using the processor, a set of changes in the neuroimaging data of the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition based on a comparison of the first set of regions of interest for the each human subject with the second set of regions of interest for the each human subject, wherein the set of changes comprises indicators of change occurring after the each human subject began receiving the neuropsychiatric therapy to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition;
analyzing, using the processor, the set of changes for the each human subject with the portions of the medical literature describing the neuropsychiatric therapy used to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition to identify a set of changes attributable to the neuropsychiatric therapy;
identifying, using the processor, other therapies unrelated to treatment of the given neuropsychiatric condition being applied to one or more human subjects in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition;
identifying, using the processor, changes in the neuroimaging data of the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans for the one or more human subjects in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition that are attributable to the other therapies unrelated to the treatment of the given neuropsychiatric condition being applied to the one or more human subjects to form uncorrelated changes attributable to the other therapies unrelated to the treatment of the given neuropsychiatric condition;
eliminating, using the processor, the uncorrelated changes attributable to the other therapies unrelated to the treatment of the given neuropsychiatric condition from the set of changes identified in the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition;
generating, using the processor, a mechanism of action for the neuropsychiatric therapy for the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition based on the analyzing of the set of changes for the each human subject, wherein the mechanism of action comprises a set of links to the portions of the medical literature associated with the neuropsychiatric therapy and each change in the set of changes identified from an automatic searching of the set of online electronic medical literature sources;
generating, using the processor, the set of links to the portions of the medical literature associated with the neuropsychiatric therapy used to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition;
embedding, using the processor, the set of links to the portions of the medical literature associated with the neuropsychiatric therapy used to treat the given neuropsychiatric condition within the first set of regions of interest located in the first set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition and the second set of regions of interest located in the second set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition; and
storing the mechanism of action for the neuropsychiatric therapy in a third non-transitory computer readable storage medium via the network connection.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing additional subject data for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition with the set of changes identified in the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans for the each human subject and the portions of the medical literature associated with the neuropsychiatric therapy to generate the mechanism of action for the neuropsychiatric therapy, wherein the mechanism of action comprises the set of changes identified in the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans of the plurality of human subjects and changes in clinical test results occurring over time, and wherein the additional subject data comprises at least one of clinical data, subject medical history, behavioral data, and cognitive data.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
searching the set of online electronic medical literature sources for medical literature relevant to the given neuropsychiatric condition, the neuropsychiatric therapy, and the set of changes identified in the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition occurring over time to form the portions of the medical literature; and
analyzing the portions of the medical literature with the set of changes identified in the first set of human brain scans and the second set of human brain scans for the each human subject in the plurality of human subjects diagnosed with the given neuropsychiatric condition occurring over time to derive the mechanism of action for the neuropsychiatric therapy.

Assignees

• Fueyo Joanna Lynn
• Angell Robert Lee
• Friedlander Robert R
• Kraemer James R
• IBM

Inventors

• Fueyo Joanna Lynn
• Angell Robert Lee
• Friedlander Robert R
• Kraemer James R

Classifications

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• A61B5/411

  Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance · CPC title

• A61B6/037

  Emission tomography · CPC title

• A61B5/055 Primary

  involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging · CPC title

• A61B6/56

  Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings · CPC title