Epileptic seizure detection in EEG signals via an enhanced hybrid CNN with an integrated attention mechanism.

Abstract

Epileptic seizures, a prevalent neurological condition, necessitate precise and prompt identification for optimal care. Nevertheless, the intricate characteristics of electroencephalography (EEG) signals, noise, and the want for real-time analysis require enhancement in the creation of dependable detection approaches. Despite advances in machine learning and deep learning, capturing the intricate spatial and temporal patterns in EEG data remains challenging. This study introduced a novel deep learning framework combining a convolutional neural network (CNN), bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU), and convolutional block attention module (CBAM). The CNN extracts spatial features, the BiGRU captures long-term temporal dependencies, and the CBAM emphasizes critical spatial and temporal regions, creating a hybrid architecture optimized for EEG pattern recognition. Evaluation of a public EEG dataset revealed superior performance compared to existing methods. The model achieved 99.00% accuracy in binary classification, 96.20% in three-class tasks, 92.00% in four-class scenarios, and 89.00% in five-class classification. High sensitivity (89.00-99.00%) and specificity (89.63-99.00%) across all tasks highlighted the model's robust ability to identify diverse EEG patterns. This approach supports healthcare professionals in diagnosing epileptic seizures accurately and promptly, improving patient outcomes and quality of life.