# On the challenges of detecting MCI using EEG in the wild

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.17871 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.17871/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 28 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 15 Jan 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [A Unified Approach to Interpreting Model Predictions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.07874/) (2017)
- [On Calibration of Modern Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.04599/) (2017)
- [Simple and Principled Uncertainty Estimation with Deterministic Deep Learning via Distance Awareness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.10108/) (2020)
- [Normalization Techniques in Training DNNs: Methodology, Analysis and Application](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.12836/) (2020)
- [Machine Learning for Predicting Epileptic Seizures Using EEG Signals: A Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.01925/) (2020)
- [Density-Softmax: Efficient Test-time Model for Uncertainty Estimation and Robustness under Distribution Shifts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.06495/) (2023)
- [Real-Time Seizure Detection using EEG: A Comprehensive Comparison of Recent Approaches under a Realistic Setting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.08780/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Recent studies have shown promising results in the detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) using easily accessible Electroencephalogram (EEG) data which would help administer early and effective treatment for dementia patients. However, the reliability and practicality of such systems remains unclear. In this work, we investigate the potential limitations and challenges in developing a robust MCI detection method using two contrasting datasets: 1) CAUEEG, collected and annotated by expert neurologists in controlled settings and 2) GENEEG, a new dataset collected and annotated in general practice clinics, a setting where routine MCI diagnoses are typically made. We find that training on small datasets, as is done by most previous works, tends to produce high variance models that make overconfident predictions, and are unreliable in practice. Additionally, distribution shifts between datasets make cross-domain generalization challenging. Finally, we show that MCI detection using EEG may suffer from fundamental limitations because of the overlapping nature of feature distributions with control groups. We call for more effort in high-quality data collection in actionable settings (like general practice clinics) to make progress towards this salient goal of non-invasive MCI detection.