EEG and MEG Signals Analysis for Epileptic Seizure Detection and Prediction

Funding Agency: KACST and Lockheed Martine

Status: Completed (June 2016)

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder which is rampant in 1% of the world population, and this disorder is classified as the second most serious neurological disease known to humanity, after stroke. Epilepsy is a recurrent dysfunctional activity of the brain.  The life of epileptic patients is extremely disturbed by the occurrence of sudden unpredictable seizures, which are a cause of disability. Hence, the development of a reliable seizure detection and prediction mechanisms could considerably improve the quality of life of those patients, and also improve the accuracy and speed of medical diagnosis process.

This research work aims at the development of a convenient prototype software, in collaboration with King Fahd Medical City (KFMC), to study epileptic activities present in brain signals. The EEG signals are currently the main basis upon which these studies have been performed. However, the progress in the development of MEG measurement devices has created a new source of data that can be utilized with EEG signals for seizure activity analysis.  Due to its high cost, MEG technology is available only at a very limited number of places in the world. Fortunately, the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) at King Fahd Medical City at Riyadh has this technology, where both EEG and MEG signals can be measured simultaneously. Therefore, the researchers from KSU and KFMC are jointly developed advanced analysis tools that make use of both EEG and MEG signals for the development of a reliable detection and prediction of epileptic seizure activities.

EEG and MEG measurement system