Pen-point Trajectory Analysis During Trail Making Test Based on a Time Base Generator Model

• Published in: 2021 43rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBC) Vol. 2021; pp. 6215 - 6219
• Main Authors: Sakai, Hiroto, Furui, Akira, Hama, Seiji, Yanagawa, Akiko, Kubo, Koki, Morisako, Yutaro, Orino, Yuki, Hamai, Maho, Fujita, Kasumi, Mizuguchi, Tomohiko, Kandori, Akihiko, Tsuji, Toshio
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.11.2021
• Subjects: Analytical models; Cognition; Fitting; Generators; Humans; Linearity; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Neuropsychological Tests; Shape; Stroke; Stroke (medical condition); Tablet computers; Trail Making Test
• ISSN: 2694-0604
• DOI: 10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9629991

The Trail Making test (TMT) is a widely used neuropsychological test to assess the cognitive function of patients. This paper presents the analysis method of pen-point trajectory during the TMT based on a time base generator (TBG). In the proposed method, the movement segments between targets are first extracted from pen-point trajectories, which are measured during performance of the TMT on an iPad. By fitting the extracted trajectories with a TBG-based trajectory generation model, the proposed method can then calculate quantitative indices representing the shape and collapse of the velocity profile. In the experiment, we analyzed TMT data from 25 stroke patients who were classified into three groups according to their scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The results revealed that most of the measured inter-target trajectories had unimodal bell-shaped velocity profiles, as seen in reaching movements. Furthermore, we found that the degree of collapse in the velocity profile shape increased significantly when the cognitive function decreased.