[Eeglablist] Perspective Article: Toward a Psychiatric State Index (PSI) — Real-Time EEG Differentiation of Autistic Meltdown vs Psychotic Episode

[נתי שטרן]

Dear EEGLAB community,

I am sharing a perspective article proposing a novel wearable EEG device —
the Psychiatric State Index (PSI) — designed to differentiate autistic
meltdowns from psychotic episodes in real time using EEG-derived biomarkers
and machine learning.

As an autistic researcher, I combine lived experience of sensory overload
with computational neuroscience to propose two composite indices computed
from an 8-channel montage:
- Sensory Overload Index (SOI): alpha stability, gating efficiency, gamma
load, frontoparietal coherence, autonomic surge
- Reality Disconnection Index (RDI): temporal beta/gamma CSD, delta/alpha
ratio, bifrontal bicoherence, hemispheric asymmetry, frontotemporal
connectivity

The article also addresses BIS monitor calibration failures in
neuropsychiatric populations (autism BIS=72 vs neurotypical 97 at
equivalent awareness), proposes personal baseline calibration with z-score
normalization, and includes worked clinical vignettes with epoch-by-epoch
numerical calculations.

Full article (PDF) available upon request.

Netanel Stern
Independent Security Researcher and Clinical AI Developer
Rosh HaAyin, Israel