Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

This EEG Looks Like These EEGs: Interpretable Interictal Epileptiform Discharge Detection With ProtoEEG-kNN

  • Dennis Tang
  • , Jon Donnelly
  • , Alina Jade Barnett
  • , Lesia Semenova
  • , Jin Jing
  • , Peter Hadar
  • , Ioannis Karakis
  • , Olga Selioutski
  • , Kehan Zhao
  • , M. Brandon Westover
  • , Cynthia Rudin
  • Duke University
  • Microsoft USA
  • Harvard University
  • Emory University
  • University of Crete

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The presence of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings is a critical biomarker of epilepsy. Even trained neurologists find detecting IEDs difficult, leading many practitioners to turn towards machine learning for help. Although deep learning algorithms have shown state-of-the-art accuracy on this task, most models are uninterpretable and cannot justify their conclusions. Absent the ability to understand model reasoning, doctors cannot leverage their expertise to identify incorrect model predictions and intervene accordingly. To improve human-model interaction, we introduce ProtoEEG-kNN, an inherently interpretable IED-detection model that follows a simple case-based reasoning process. Specifically, ProtoEEG-kNN compares input EEGs to samples from the training set that contain similar IED morphology (shape) and spatial distribution (location). We show that ProtoEEG-kNN can achieve state-of-the-art accuracy while providing visual explanations that experts prefer over existing approaches.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMedical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2025 - 28th International Conference, 2025, Proceedings
EditorsJames C. Gee, Jaesung Hong, Carole H. Sudre, Polina Golland, Jinah Park, Daniel C. Alexander, Juan Eugenio Iglesias, Archana Venkataraman, Jong Hyo Kim
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages615-625
Number of pages11
ISBN (Print)9783032051844
DOIs
StatePublished - 2026
Event28th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2025 - Daejeon, Korea, Republic of
Duration: Sep 23 2025Sep 27 2025

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume15973 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference28th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2025
Country/TerritoryKorea, Republic of
CityDaejeon
Period09/23/2509/27/25

Keywords

  • Deep Learning
  • Epilepsy Diagnosis
  • Interpretability

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'This EEG Looks Like These EEGs: Interpretable Interictal Epileptiform Discharge Detection With ProtoEEG-kNN'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this