Qualitative versus quantitative assessment of electroencephalography in cognitive decline: Comparison in a clinical population

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of visual assessment of electroencephalography (EEG) using the Grand Total EEG (GTE) score and quantitative EEG (QEEG) using spectral analysis in the context of cognitive impairment. This was a retrospective study of patients with mild cognitive impairment, with (MCI+V) or without (MCI) vascular dysfunction, and patients with dementia including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy Body Dementia and vascular dementia. The results showed that the GTE is a simple scoring system with some potential applications, but limited ability to distinguish between dementia subtypes, while spectral analysis appeared to be a powerful tool, but its clinical development requires the use of artificial intelligence tools.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; Grand Total EEG; Quantitative analysis; Spectral analysis.