Differentiating ischemic stroke patients from healthy subjects using a large-scale, retrospective EEG database and machine learning methods

Objectives: We set out to develop a machine learning model capable of distinguishing patients presenting with ischemic stroke from a healthy cohort of subjects. The model relies on a 3-min resting electroencephalogram (EEG) recording from which features can be computed. Materials and Methods: Using a large-scale, retrospective database of EEG recordings and matching clinical reports, we were able to construct a dataset of 1385 healthy subjects and 374 stroke patients. With subjects often producing more than one recording per session, the final dataset consisted of 2401 EEG recordings (63% healthy, 37% stroke). Results: Using a rich set of features encompassing both the spectral and temporal domains, our model yielded an AUC of 0.95, with a sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 86%, respectively. Allowing for multiple recordings per subject in the training set boosted sensitivity by 7%, attributable to a more balanced dataset. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates strong potential for the use of EEG in conjunction with machine learning methods to distinguish stroke patients from healthy subjects. Our approach provides a solution that is not only timely (3-minutes recording time) but also highly precise and accurate (AUC: 0.95).