Education and demonstration – Psychology
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-14
2001-05-15
Rovnak, John Edmund (Department: 3713)
Education and demonstration
Psychology
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231344
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to interactive behavioral training techniques for remediating schizophrenia. More specifically, the present invention relates to perceptual and cognitive training techniques for remediating schizophrenia, either prophylactically prior to the onset of clinically observable schizophrenic behaviors or after the development of schizophrenia symptoms in a person.
Evidence suggests that about 1 in 100 individuals is schizophrenic and about 1 in 25 individuals is “at-risk” for schizophrenia onset. Schizophrenia is generally regarded as one of the most devastating of the common forms of mental illness. It generally arises in young adults between about 16 and 30 years of age. Most individuals that develop the illness have behavioral characteristics that identify them as “at risk” for schizophrenia onset from early childhood.
Risk is contributed to by inherited factors. At the same time, there is a long history of studies that indicates that onset of the “illness” is modulated by the behavioral experiences of at-risk individuals. Even in the case of identical twins, less than half of their genetically identical siblings develop the illness. At the same time, given underlying genetic factors contributing to the risk of onset of the illness, the historical occurrence of schizophrenia in a family is one simple way of defining “at risk” status for young adults.
The illness generally arises progressively through a period of increasingly abnormal behaviors that may be identified over a prodromal epoch that is several weeks to many months in duration. Commonly beginning with a feeling that “things just don't seem (look, feel, sound) right,” it ultimately progresses to the emergence of uncontrolled delusions and hallucinations that are a hallmark of the full-blown illness.
Because the causes of schizophrenia are not fully understood, contemporary schizophrenia treatment typically consists of antipsychotic medications (i.e., neuroleptics) that are chosen on the basis of their ability to reduce schizophrenic symptoms and/or lessen the chances that symptoms will return. By way of example, conventional neuroleptics such as haloperidol, chloropromazine, or thioridazine have long been employed for controlling acute schizophrenic symptoms and for improving the functioning of people with schizophrenia, thereby reducing the need for hospitalization.
Although the use of antipsychotic medications have proven effective for controlling certain schizophrenic symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, paranoia, delusions), there are disadvantages to the pharmacological-based approach. By way of example, it is known that certain antipsychotic medications are not effective, for reasons unknown, on some subjects. Even when a medication is found to be effective for a particular patient, the prolonged use of an antipsychotic medication may give rise to unwanted side effects, such as dependency, drowsiness, restlessness, muscle spasms, tremor, dry mouth, and/or blurring of vision. Still further, it is believed that one of the long term side effects of antipsychotic drugs is the development of tarditive dyskinesia (TD). TD is a disorder typically characterized by involuntary movements most often affecting the mouth, lips, and tongue and sometimes the trunk or other parts of the body. Still further, antipsychotic drugs do not effectively ameliorate negative symptoms of schizophrenia in most patients, e.g., they do not restore normal speech reception abilities, long term memory abilities, or many other related cognitive deficits that limit a patient's potential and achievement.
In view of the foregoing, there are desired therapeutic techniques that can remediate schizophrenia or prevent its onset without introducing unwanted side effects. In particular, there are desired schizophrenia treatments, prophylactic or otherwise, that do not require or that reduce the need for antipsychotic medication.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in one aspect, to perceptual and cognitive training techniques for remediating schizophrenia, either prophylactically prior to the onset of clinically observable schizophrenic behaviors or after the development of schizophrenia symptoms in a person.
In one embodiment, schizophrenia is prevented or remediated by engaging the subject in computer-implemented interactive behavioral training exercises designed to maximize changes in the release of cortical neurotransmitters (such as dopamine, acetylcholine, or the like) in the forebrain, thereby ameliorating expressions of schizophrenia that are believed to be attributable to this imbalance. Preferably, the computer-implemented behavioral exercises are designed to be sufficiently intensive, both in the number of repetitions and in the attentional focus related to task difficulty, such that permanent changes in neurotransmitter expression are achieved. Since the invention seeks to create permanent changes in neurotransmitter expression in the forebrain, the number of repetitions and the attentional focus required are typically far in excess of what is required to simply improve an isolated skill.
In accordance with one embodiment, the computer-implemented behavioral exercises are also implemented such that the subject is rewarded in a majority of the trials to encourage and magnify neurochemical release and to continue to motivate the subject to maintain sharply focused attention and vigilance, thereby ensuring permanent changes in neurotransmitter expression in the subject.
In one embodiment, the computer-implemented exercises are designed to also simultaneously improve the subject's perceptual, cognitive, social and executive function skills while at the same time addressing the neurochemical imbalance that underlies the schizophrenia symptoms. Preferably, the computer-implemented exercises employ cross-stimulus sets to promote inter-related and synergistic combinations of perceptual, cognitive, social, and executive skills.
These and other features of the present invention will be described in more detail below in the detailed description of the invention and in conjunction with the following figures.
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Ann Delahunty, PhD., et al.,
Blake David T.
Merzenich Michael M.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Rovnak John Edmund
Scientific Learning Corporation
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