The role of high-quality EEG databases in the improvement and assessment of seizure prediction methods

Initially, seizure prediction was based on the analysis of brief EEG segments preceding clinically manifest seizures. Whereas such approaches suggested that the sensitivities of various EEG-derived features in predicting seizures were high, the inclusion of longer interictal periods and the combined assessment of sensitivity and specificity and the application of statistical validation methods have put into question the validity of such claims. We here show that the duration of EEG on which analyses are based and the number of seizures assessed negatively correlate with the reported sensitivities of prediction studies. Methodological aspects of seizure prediction are discussed in the framework of currently existing databases and of the newly established European Union database. This article is part of a Supplemental Special Issue entitled The Future of Automated Seizure Detection and Prediction.