Using blocks to unlock the brain

The brain is often studied with complex technological tools such as MRIs. Researchers from at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland are using high-tech building blocks that may help identify developmental disabilities, brain trauma and dementia.

The Sensor-Integrated Geometric Blocks—or SIG-Blocks—are imbedded with wireless sensors that can record and transmit data to a computer. Researchers used the blocks with college-aged students to detect hyperactivity and study individual problem solving strategies. The researchers' work was published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior

Collecting information on performance accuracy and time to complete tasks can factor into future diagnoses of patients. The researchers see potential for these blocks to be used in in-home care and through telemedicine, where a doctor anywhere in the world would be able to give diagnoses on autism, brain trauma or dementia.

"The SIG-Blocks can be used for cognitive testing and training with subjects of any age, and the testing is customizable," said Kiju Lee, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Case Western and leader of block development.

The study featured 89 students who used the blocks in a type of game to analyze the brain. Subjects had to arrange the blocks to recreate an image, fill in a missing spot from an image with the correct block, and/or recreate a pattern that was shown for a short amount of time.

"Testing has always been standardized, but this is more fine-tuned and more accurate," said Elizabeth Short, psychology professor. "The sensor-enabled blocks record the movement pattern—each attempt, each movement and how long it takes, hesitancy, whether a subject thinks through the task and makes the necessary manipulation or whether he turns and turns the block until he gets it right. If a subject can't assemble three blocks into a pattern, we can move to two blocks or simplify the pattern. This way, I can get to the skill problem: They can't rotate the block or can't invert the block."