United States Patent Office Awards Canadian Start-up a Patent to Diagnose Migraine Using Machine Learning

TORONTO, March 2, 2021 /CNW/ - A new patent is poised to help migraine sufferers. Scientists have been searching for a brain wave test for migraine for 75 years, but the signals were too complicated to decode until the recent application of machine learning.

U.S. Patent 10,932,725 was issued to Cerebral Diagnostics Canada Incorporated (CDCI) on Tuesday, March 2^nd, 2021 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The title is "Diagnosis of Migraine Via Expert System".

The problem:

An estimated 1 billion people have migraine. Some cases are severe. Over-diagnosis leads to over-treatment and underdiagnosis leads to under-treatment. Both are common. Diagnosis is difficult in patients without the warning signs known as auras. (See link to First drawing of an aura)

The planned solution of Headache Sciences:

The solution is a test for migraine that is: safe, affordable, convenient, reliable, objective, accessible and accurate. This patent lays the foundation for this solution. It uses signal processing and machine learning to extract thousands of features from the recorded extremely safe electroencephalographic signals.

Benefits to patients and doctors:

Migraine occurs mostly in females. It often starts in the early teens. The company believes that the invention can used for early diagnosis to trigger early treatment, thereby reducing dreaded severe chronic cases.

There is no front-line objective test for migraine. Diagnosis can be difficult in children, or if there is a language barrier, cognitive impairment, poor memory, a complex medical history, or symptom exaggeration.

The doctor can see the patient's position on a graph relative to healthy subjects and other migraine suffers by means of a visual divider. (See link for Decision Plane)

Proof of concept:

Headache Sciences has proof of concept for a test for migraine with aura. A peer-reviewed IEEE study was 93% accurate in diagnosing migraine with aura on headache free days. It discovered biomarkers for the company believes to be the electrical predisposition to migraine.

Potential uses for the invention:

• Diagnosing migraine between and during attacks.
• Identifying the stage and type of migraine.
• Monitoring disease progression and response to treatment.
• Aiding the development of preventive electrical drugs and non-drug treatments such as psychotherapy and CBT.

The company:

Commercialization is planned through Headache Sciences Inc. which is a clinical artificial intelligence company. It was derived from Cerebral Diagnostics Canada Inc.

Company goal:

Our goal is to commercialize starting with an adult test for migraine on headache free days. The next stage which is an expanded study.

Links:

1. USPTO announcement: http://patentsgazette.uspto.gov/week09/OG/patent.html
   (#10,932,725)
2. Copy of patent:
   https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/df/b6/d0/d21792f1e6cdd0/US20180242919A1.pdf
3. First drawing of an aura:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_Airy#/media/File:Migraine_aura_illustration_on_page_Diseases_of_nervous_system_(cropped).jpg
4. Headache Sciences Incorporated: https://www.headachesciences.com/
5. Decision plane https://www.headachesciences.com/technology.html
   The "carpet" separates migraine (with aura) patients in orange from normals (green dots).
   (Use a mouse to manipulate it.)
6. Brain movie of the migraine in progress: Download at:
   https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0DIlQ0Nskq_VEo2b2ZYSjhvMGc/view?usp=sharing.
   The lines are current density vectors. They indicate electrical field activity.

SOURCE Cerebral Diagnostics