NYSTAGMUS DATA: NONLINEAR SIGNAL PROCESSING & NONLINEAR SYSTEM THEORY

An observer of a continuously moving visual scene has induced a reflexive eye movement called nystagmus. Nystagmus signals are termed optokinetic (vestibular) if induced by visual stimulation (head rotation or other stimulation of the vestibular system). These responses are important in flight and play an important role in spatial disorientation and the generation of various illusions of motion. The two responses are also important medically. Optokinectic responses are useful in the detection of central nervous system disorders and vestibular nystagmus induced by whole body rotation or caloric stimulation is used to evaluate the vestibul-ocular reflex. In Phase I there will be two items of interest. The first involves signal processing, avenues for improving the filtering of this data by current OS (order statistic) techniques will be explored and other techniques for filtering will be explored (wavelets, morphology, fuzzy logic, and neural networks). Second, the development of a nonlinear system theory for application to biological signals like the nystagmus will be investigated, a first step in this direction will be outlined below (section d). These items should be of use to the military for selection, classification, and retention of pilots and by the commercial world for diagnosis of the eye/ear system.