SD-BERA - an objective method for fast and reliable diagnoses in psychiatry

SD-BERA (SensoDetect-Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry) is a new diagnostic decision support for assessment of psychotic diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. It is an objective method which enables faster and more reliable diagnostics.

SD-BERA is normally carried out as a service by the SensoDetect staff. A test procedure takes approximately 45 minutes and along with analysis of the responses the procedure in all takes about 2.5 hour. The result of a measurement is a series of index measures, from which ADHD can be detected with 85% sensitivity, with no positive results for reference subjects or adjacent groups. Schizophrenia can be detected with 95% sensitivity without positive responses for control groups.

Procedure
The person being tested sits in a satisfactorily silent room in a reclining chair with his eyes closed and earphones on. Electrophysiological activity in the brainstem is elicited by the patented SensoDetect sound stimuli and is registered at system’s hard drive all along the measurement.  Being measured with SD-BERA is regularly perceived as a non disturbing experience. No active patient participation is needed – you can even be measured while sleeping.

Results
After measurement patterns of responses is compared to reference data for the different groups after which an index is calculated. Thereafter all data is again controlled by both an audionomist and a psychiatrist. A report is written and sent back to the clinic referring.

Possible use
SD-BERA can be used in all kinds of psychiatric diagnostic assessments. Today, the method is mainly used on psychiatric clinics throughout Sweden. Often it is used in cases with difficulties assessing and diagnosing and with differential diagnostic questions where either schizophrenia or ADHD is a possible explanation. In many cases the SD-BERA-measurement results in a negative response and hence supports directing the diagnostic question in a different direction. SD-BERA is among others also used when conventional methods are troublesome to carry out or at urgent assessments demanding a quick response.

Background
SD-BERA is a further development of Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA), a method in which electric activity is studied in a time frame of ten milliseconds from stimulation. Today, BERA is most commonly used within audiology for measurements of hearing thresholds, diagnostics of sensorineural hearing impairment and diagnostics of lesions in the brainstem. The modifications firstly consists of that 14 scientifically developed, patented sounds are used, instead of few sounds that is normally used at ABR. Secondly a SD-BERA-measurement is carried out for a longer amount of time, which gives a better material of data for the brainstem analysis. A third factor of great importance is the much more thorough computer analysis of the responses. Click here to read more about the research resulting in SD-BERA.

Equipment
At the present, the CE-marked SensoDetect measurement systems are portable, which enables us to perform measurements as well on the SensoDetect office in Lund as on site at the clinics. In the course of 2008 our new user friendly, touch screen based device (patent no. PCT/SE2005/001877) will be finalized. Thereafter purchase of measurement systems for use at the clinics will be possible