| # | Question | Answer |
| 1 | What is NeuroGlyphics (NG)? | NG is software packages developed with the intent of facilitating the collection and analysis of hand movements as subjects use a pen or stylus over a digitizing surface. For more than a century, neurologists and other clinicians have asked patients to draw Archimedes spirals and collected writing samples with the purpose of documenting fine motor control, penmanship and tremor. These samples could be reflective of the phenomenology of patients with Essential Tremor (ET), Parkinsonism, hand cramps and ataxia. |
| 2 | What is NG's main purpose? | The main goal of NG is to generate a rich dataset with metrics of task-related pen-tip kinematic adding a quantitative dimension to task performance |
| 3 | What built-in tasks are available in NG? | In this early version, NG offers the following tasks: a) clockwise spiral (CWS), b) counter-clockwise spiral (CCWS), c) static pointing and d) a simple writing pad. Additional tasks are been developed |
| 4 | Could NG be used as a diagnostic tool? | No. NG’s generated information is not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool, or to guide therapy |
| 5 | What is different between a spiral in a pice of paper and a digitized spiral collected with NG? | The basic aspect that distinguishes paper-based (or simple morphological analysis spirals) from the analysis offered by NG, is the fact that NG treat the writing output generated by the digitizing tablet as a high temporal and spatial resolution collection of data points on which further numerical analysis can be undertaken. As a result, time and frequency domains estimations of derived pen tip kinematics become possible. |
| 6 | What hardware does NG require to collect data? | NG is capable of collecting pen tip position on a digitizing tablet (USB non-integrated tablet) or an integrated digitizing surface directly mapped onto the computer screen (TabletPC). At the present time, only devices (non-integrated tablets or TabletPCs) that utilize wintab.dll (WACOM based or Microsoft Surface Pro 3.0) will function properly with NG. |
| 7 | What hardware models are recommended to be used in NG? | To date, I have not performed a comprehensive evaluation of all “off-the-shelf” WACOM or Tablet PCs devices in the market. By design, NG interacts with WACOM tablet hardware and vendor driver in such a way that all USB based WACOM tablets and TabletPCs using the WACOM's version of WinTab.dll should work properly. The WACOM WinTab.dll is included with the routine installation of the manufacturers’ installation CD or by download (Wacom website). I'm in the process of testing NG in Windows 8 Pro tablets with WACOM digitazing surfaces. I recently tested the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix tablet running Windows Pro 8.1 and found no issues running Neuroglyphics. I expect other Wacom enabled surface PC running Windows 8.1 pro will work as well. I have recently tested a Cintiq 22HD integrated digitizer surface and NG performs as expected. I have also implemented in the latest version a fix to run Surface Pro 3.0 provided the Microsft Wintab.dll is properly installed. I have not tested Surface Pro 4.0 devices as I do not have access to one |
| 8 | Is there a NG version for Linux, MAC, Android? | There are no plans to port NG to other platforms at this point, but users have had success running NG on MACs running a Windows XP virtual environment using Parallels Desktop for MAC. NeuroGlyphics also works on a Virtual PC using VMware running under Linux enviromnents |
| 9 | What version of Windows is recommended for NG? | NG works properly on Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 |
| 10 | Can I run NG without an attached tablet? | Yes. The analysis routines in NG are independent of the collection module. If the data collection (active surface) tab is selected without a tablet attached and the proper drivers, the program will return an error or may crash |
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