Enhancement of Focus and Concentration by Combination of Flashing Light, Sound, and/or Binaural Beats to Stimulate Neural Oscillations in the Neocortex and Facilitate Training and Learning

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enhancement of focus and concentration during training and learning with flashing light, sound, and/or binaural beats to stimulate entrained Hz neural oscillations

Claims

1. A method of treatment of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, dementia, ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Down syndrome, conduct disorder, emotional or behavioral disorder, speech cluttering, stuttering, language disorders, or deficit of attention in a human user, comprising: every t seconds showing on at least a portion of background of a screen a fixed or changing lighter image or color for x % of the t seconds and a fixed or changing darker image or color for y % of the t seconds; showing on the foreground of the screen a cognitive image challenge allowing user to engage in cognitive training or in cognitive activity; and delivering to the user sound or sound bursts at or about 40 Hz, or binaural beats at about 40 Hz, wherein the lighter image is on average more bright than the darker image or color; wherein t is 1/f; wherein f is between 30 Hz and 50 Hz; wherein x is greater than 0% and less than 100%; and wherein y is greater than 0% and less than 100%.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein f is 40 Hz; wherein x is 33%; and wherein y is 66%.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein f is 40 Hz; wherein x is 66%; and wherein y is 33%.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein f is 40 Hz; wherein x is 50%; and wherein y is 50%.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the screen is a TV screen.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the screen is connected to or is a part of a computer device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer device is capable of receiving the user's input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the screen is the entire screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighter image or the darker image allows user to engage in cognitive training or in cognitive activity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighter image or the darker image is at least one of: a puzzle, a Sudoku puzzle, a memory game, a crossword puzzle, an action game, a spatial orientation game, a text, or a video.

11. A method of treatment of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, dementia, ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Down syndrome, conduct disorder, emotional or behavioral disorder, speech cluttering, stuttering, language disorders, or deficit of attention in a human user, comprising: every t seconds showing on a first at least a portion of a first screen a lighter image or color for x % of the t seconds and a darker image or color for y % of the t seconds; showing an image allowing the user to engage in cognitive training or in cognitive activity on a second at least a portion of a second screen; and delivering to the user sound or sound bursts at about 40 Hz or binaural beats at about 40 Hz, wherein the first at least a portion of the first screen is adjacent or the second at least a portion of the second screen; wherein t is 1/f; wherein f is between 30 Hz and 50 Hz; wherein x is greater than 0% and less than 100%; and wherein y is greater than 0% and less than 100%.

12. A device for of treatment of Alzheimer's disease in a human user, comprising: a light source attachable to a screen of a computer device capable of presenting cognitive activities to the user; a sound generator capable of delivering to the user sound or sound bursts at or about 40 Hz, and/or binaural beats at or about 40 Hz; and a controller connected to the light source, wherein the controller is capable of making the light source flash at a frequency between 30 Hz and 50 Hz; and wherein the device does not obscure at least a portion of the screen where the cognitive activities are presented.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the light source is attached to the screen.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the light source forms more than 50% of a perimeter of the at least a portion of the screen where the cognitive activities are presented.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the cognitive activity is at least one of: action game, Sudoku puzzle, memory game, spatial orientation game, crossword puzzle, attention game, visuospatial game, reading game, language exercise, reading, videos.

16. The device of claim 12 powered by at least one battery, via a USB connector, or from a power outlet.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the light source is a frame.

18. The device of claim 12, further comprising at least one hook or a clip for attachment to the screen.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the light source comprises at least one LED.

20. A device for of treatment of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, dementia, ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Down syndrome, conduct disorder, emotional or behavioral disorder, speech cluttering, stuttering, language disorders, or deficit of attention in a human user, comprising: a light source attachable to a book without obscuring a page within the book; a sound generator capable of delivering to the user sound or sound bursts at about 40 Hz, or binaural beats at about 40 Hz; and a controller connected to the light source, wherein the controller is capable of making the light source flash at a frequency between 30 Hz and 50 Hz.

21. The device of claim 20 powered by at least one battery, via a USB connector, or from a power outlet.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the light source is a frame.

23. The device of claim 20, further comprising at least one hook or a clip for attachment to the book.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein the light source comprises at least one LED.

25. A device for of treatment of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, dementia, ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Down syndrome, conduct disorder, emotional or behavioral disorder, speech cluttering, stuttering, language disorders, or deficit of attention in a human user, comprising: a light source attachable to eyeglasses or a virtual reality headset; a sound generator capable of delivering to the user sound or sound bursts at about 40 Hz, or binaural beats at about 40 Hz; and a controller connected to the light source, wherein the controller is capable of making the light source flash at a frequency between 30 Hz and 50 Hz.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the light source is attached to the eyeglasses or a virtual reality headset.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein the light source forms more than 50% of a perimeter of the eyeglasses.

28. The device of claim 25 powered by at least one battery.

29. The device of claim 25, wherein the light source is a frame or shaped as a frame.

30. The device of claim 25, further comprising at least one hook or a clip for attachment to the eyeglasses.

31. The device of claim 25, wherein the light source comprises at least one LED.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Of the drawings:

[0059] FIG. 1 shows an LEDs embedded into a frame hanged over a display showing cognitive puzzles or videos accompanied by sound or sound bursts at or about 40 Hz, and/or binaural beats at or about 40 Hz.

[0060] FIG. 2 shows a light source generating 40 Hz flashing light powered by USB port installed on one side of a display with cognitive puzzles or videos accompanied by sound or sound bursts at or about 40 Hz, and/or binaural beats at or about 40 Hz.

[0061] FIG. 3 illustrates how 40 Hz light flashing is provided by presenting one light frame followed by two darker frames at 120 frames per second refresh rate accompanied by sound or sound bursts at or about 40 Hz, and/or binaural beats at or about 40 Hz.

[0062] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] The sound, sound bursts, and binaural beats may be any sound generator available in the art, for example, a speaker, such as a computer speaker, or headphones.

[0064] The sound bursts may be, for example, a 10,000 Hz sound played for 1 millisecond (ms) and separated by 24 ms silence. The resulting waveform in this example is perceived as 40 Hz audio

[0065] FIG. 1 shows an LED frame 1 (with embedder LEDs) mounted around a display 2 that shows cognitive puzzles or videos. The display 2 may be a computer screen, a portable computer device screen, or an electronic paper display, or a paper book, or any other medium capable of presenting cognitive puzzles or videos. The LED frame comprises at least one LEDs flickering at 40 Hz. It may be powered by USB computer port or by an external power outlet or by a battery. Other light sources, such as light bulbs of suitable size, may be used instead of the LED.

[0066] The LED frame may be glued to a display, hanged over a display using hooks or hangers 3, or simply placed over a horizontal display. The LED frame does not have to go around the entire screen.

[0067] The LED frame may be of any suitable shape: square, circular, or any other form as long as it does not obscure the cognitive puzzles or videos. As shown in FIG. 2, the LED light 4 (powered through a USB port of the computer) source may be positioned near, in front, on the side, above, below, or behind a display 5 showing cognitive puzzles or videos.

[0068] Just like on the display, a flashing light frame may also be installed on eyeglass frames or eyeglasses, inside or outside, without entirely obscuring the view. A flashing light frame may also be installed inside a virtual head set without obscuring the view.

[0069] The cognitive activities may include Sudoku puzzles, Tic-Tac-Toe games, chess, checkers, memory games, crossword puzzles, action games, spatial orientation games, reading books, watching videos, or any other cognitive activities.

[0070] Many modern mobile devices can generate flashing light at 40 Hz. For example, an iPad released in 2017 has 120 Hz refresh rate. A flashing light effect at 40 Hz may be generated by displaying one lighter image frame followed by two darker image frames, as shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, the image may be shown only in some frames, other frames being uniform in appearance. The lighter and darker are relative measures of how much or how little cumulative light is emitted by an image frame. Such flashing does not bother the viewer because flickering at the rates of 16 Hz or more is not visible.

[0071] Another alternative is to display two lighter frames followed by one darker frame at 120 Hz refresh rate. Yet another alternative is to display one lighter frame followed by one darker frame at 80 Hz refresh rate.

[0072] The image frames on the screen present, for example, one of the aforementioned cognitive training challenges or videos, and the patient undergoes flashing light therapy by looking at the flickering screen.

[0073] The aforementioned cognitive training challenges may be presented on a computer or video screen background, for example, the background of a Sudoku puzzle, flashes, while the puzzle or another cognitive challenge itself does not change its brightness or appearance on the screen.

[0074] The example iOS Swift code may be used to present one lighter frame followed by one darker frame at 80 Hz refresh rate:

TABLE-US-00001 import UIKit class ViewController: UIViewController { @IBOutlet weak var timerText: UITextField! var st: UInt = 0; @IBOutlet var viewBackgrounf: UIView! override func viewDidLoad( ) { super.viewDidLoad( ) // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib createDisplayLink( ); print(UIScreen( ).maximumFramesPerSecond); //viewBackgrounf.backgroundColor = UIColor.red; } override func didReceiveMemoryWarning( ) { super.didReceiveMemoryWarning( ) // Dispose of any resources that can be recreated. } func createDisplayLink( ) { let displaylink = CADisplayLink(target: self, selector: #selector(step)) displaylink.preferredFramesPerSecond = 80; displaylink.add(to: .current, forMode: .defaultRunLoopMode); } var idx: Int = 0; func step(displaylink: CADisplayLink) { idx %= 3; if (idx == 0) { viewBackgrounf.backgroundColor = UIColor.black; } else{viewBackgrounf.backgroundColor = UIColor.white;} idx += 1; } }

[0075] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.