A Machine-Learning-Based Analysis of Resting State Electroencephalogram Signals to Identify Latent Schizotypal and Bipolar Development in Healthy University Students.

Background

Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective prevention and treatment of severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, identifying these conditions in their early stages remains a significant challenge. Our goal was to develop a method capable of detecting latent disease liability in healthy volunteers.

Methods

Using questionnaires examining affective temperament and schizotypal traits among voluntary, healthy university students (N = 710), we created three groups. These were a group characterized by an emphasis on positive schizotypal traits (N = 20), a group showing cyclothymic temperament traits (N = 17), and a control group showing no susceptibility in either direction (N = 21). We performed a resting-state EEG examination as part of a complex psychological, electrophysiological, psychophysiological, and laboratory battery, and we developed feature-selection machine-learning methods to differentiate the low-risk groups.

Results

Both low-risk groups could be reliably (with 90% accuracy) separated from the control group.

Conclusions

Models applied to the data allowed us to differentiate between healthy university students with latent schizotypal or bipolar tendencies. Our research may improve the sensitivity and specificity of risk-state identification, leading to more effective and safer secondary prevention strategies for individuals in the prodromal phases of these disorders.