Multi-feature fusion learning for Alzheimer's disease prediction using EEG signals in resting state

INTRODUCTION: Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) lesions via visual examination of Electroencephalography (EEG) signals poses a considerable challenge. This has prompted the exploration of deep learning techniques, such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Visual Transformers (ViTs), for AD prediction. However, the classification performance of CNN-based methods has often been deemed inadequate. This is primarily attributed to CNNs struggling with extracting meaningful lesion signals from the complex and noisy EEG data.

METHODS: In contrast, ViTs have demonstrated proficiency in capturing global signal patterns. In light of these observations, we propose a novel approach to enhance AD risk assessment. Our proposition involves a hybrid architecture, merging the strengths of CNNs and ViTs to compensate for their respective feature extraction limitations. Our proposed Dual-Branch Feature Fusion Network (DBN) leverages both CNN and ViT components to acquire texture features and global semantic information from EEG signals. These elements are pivotal in capturing dynamic electrical signal changes in the cerebral cortex. Additionally, we introduce Spatial Attention (SA) and Channel Attention (CA) blocks within the network architecture. These attention mechanisms bolster the model's capacity to discern abnormal EEG signal patterns from the amalgamated features. To make well-informed predictions, we employ a two-factor decision-making mechanism. Specifically, we conduct correlation analysis on predicted EEG signals from the same subject to establish consistency.

RESULTS: This is then combined with results from the Clinical Neuropsychological Scale (MMSE) assessment to comprehensively evaluate the subject's susceptibility to AD. Our experimental validation on the publicly available OpenNeuro database underscores the efficacy of our approach. Notably, our proposed method attains an impressive 80.23% classification accuracy in distinguishing between AD, Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Normal Control (NC) subjects.

DISCUSSION: This outcome outperforms prevailing state-of-the-art methodologies in EEG-based AD prediction. Furthermore, our methodology enables the visualization of salient regions within pathological images, providing invaluable insights for interpreting and analyzing AD predictions.