The 'brain tsunami': Machine learning aids in detection of abnormal activity

The ‘brain tsunami’: Machine learning aids in detection of abnormal activity

Medical Xpress March 19, 2025
Tim Tedeschi, University of Cincinnati

A University of Cincinnati study found machine learning models can aid in the automation and detection of abnormal brain activity sometimes referred to as a “brain tsunami.”

UC’s Jed Hartings, Ph.D., is corresponding author of the study published March 12 in the journal Scientific Reports detailing how automation can aid clinicians treating patients with spreading depolarizations (SDs).

Hartings said SDs are believed to occur in patients with virtually any type of acute brain injury, including different kinds of strokes and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Approximately 60% to 100% of all patients in these different disease categories are believed to experience SD.

Just like a battery, brain cells have a stored, or polarized, charge that enables them to send signals to...