Real-time detection of N2 and N3 sleep from scalp and intracranial EEG

A causal 2-s tracker discriminates N2+N3 sleep in real time from scalp or intracranial EEG, matching offline scoring with AUCs up to 0.967 in six adults with epilepsy.

• Why it matters: Closed-loop stimulation for memory needs online sleep staging, but conventional 30-s labels use future data and cannot support immediate, stage-dependent stimulation control.
• What they did: The method estimates the current stage every 2 s from the preceding 10 s of scalp or stereo-EEG, and a simulated rule enables stimulation after three consecutive N2+N3 estimates.
• The result: Real-time N2+N3 discrimination stayed close to offline scoring (scalp AUC 0.953 vs 0.958), thalamic channels reached 0.934, scalp+thalamus reached 0.967, and stimulation was permitted within 5 min in 63–73% of transitions.

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