COMPUTER-AIDED REFLEX MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE AND TO CLINICALLY TEST A COMPUTER-AIDED, PORTABLE MYOTATIC REFLEX MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR USE IN CLINICAL NEUROLOGY AND CLINICAL RESEARCH ON HUMANS AND FOR LABORATORY RESEARCH ON LARGE ANIMALS. IT WILL CONSIST OF A HAND-HELD, INSTRUMENTED REFLEX GUN CONTAINING A MICROPROCESSOR PROGRAMMED TO (1) DELIVER REPRODUCIBLE, QUANTIFIED STIMULI ("TENDON TAPS") OF GRADED INTENSITY TO THE MUSCLE'S TENDON, AND (2) MEASURE REFLEX RESPONSE PARAMETERS FROM THE SAME TENDON AUTOMATICALLY. TRANSDUCER ENGINEERS, A BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER, AND A NEUROLO- GIST WILL COMBINE THEIR EXPERTISE TO BUILD A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM SUITABLE FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT BY (1) IMPROVING THE PHYSICAL DESIGN OF THE PREPROTOTYPE MODEL OF THE REFLEX GUN AND REFINING THE COMPUTER, (2) INCORPORATING A MICRO- PROCESSOR-BASED CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM INTO THEGUN, AND (3) TESTING THE RESULTING PRODUCT ON HUMAN VOLUNTEERS AND PATIENTS IN A CLINICAL SETTING. THIS SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE CLINICIANS (NEUROLOGISTS, NEUROSURGEONS, PHYSIATRISTS), CLINICAL INVESTIGATORS (INCLUDING NEURO- PHARMACOLOGISTS), AND LABORATORY INVESTIGATORS WITH AN AUTOMATED, NONINVASIVE, CONVENIENT TOOL TO QUANTITATE ALL SIGNIFICANT PARAMETERS OF THE IMPORTANT TENDON STRETCH REFLEXES RELIABLY. THE RESULTING DATA WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DIAGNOSIS AND LOCALIZATION OF CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL NEUROLOGIC DYSFUNCTION BY ASSESSING THE OVERALL CENTRAL FACILITATION AND PERIPHERAL INTEGRITY OF THE REFLEX ARC, ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO FOLLOW THE NATURAL COURSE OF CERTAIN NEUROLOGIC ILLNESSES AND THEIR RESPONSE TO THERAPY THROUGH CHANGES IN THE REFLEXES OVER TIME, AND QUANTIFY SOME EFFECTSOF INVESTIGATIVE DRUGS AFFECTING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM (E.G., DRUGS THAT ALTER SPASTICITY).