Navigating the Complexity of Psychotic Disorders: A Systematic Review of EEG Microstates and Machine Learning

Abstract

EEG microstates are brief, stable topographical configurations of brain activity that provide insights into alterations in brain function and connectivity. Anomalies in microstates are associated with different neuropsychiatric conditions, especially schizophrenia. Recent advances in both EEG techniques and machine learning point to the potential role of microstates as diagnostic markers for psychotic disorders. This systematic review aims to gather current knowledge on machine learning applied to EEG microstate analysis in psychotic disorders. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched Scopus, PubMed, and Scholar databases, including 10 studies. Overall results show that EEG microstates can be used to accurately classify diagnoses within the psychosis spectrum, across all stages, outperforming models based on conventional EEG measures, with a prominent role of microstate D. One study also suggests that microstate anomalies may be directly linked to symptom severity. Integrating EEG microstates with machine learning shows promise in improving our understanding of psychotic disorders and developing more precise diagnostic tools.