HippoScreen accelerates depression diagnosis with AI and Intel tools

Diagnosing mental health disorders such as depression remains a major clinical challenge, often hindered by subjective methods and long wait times. To address this, Taiwanese company HippoScreen has developed the SEA system (Stress EEG Assessment), a medical solution combining electroencephalography with artificial intelligence. Powered by Intel® processors and enhanced by the Intel® AI Analytics Toolkit and Intel® oneAPI Base Toolkit, the system enables objective cognitive assessments in under two minutes.

The SEA system analyzes brain signals (EEG) using a specialized AI algorithm. By processing 90 seconds of brainwave data, it generates a numerical index representing the likelihood of depression. This approach offers a reliable and reproducible alternative to traditional self-assessments, supporting more consistent and data-driven clinical evaluations.

To support this innovation, HippoScreen integrated advanced models such as SCCNet, EEGNet, and Shallow ConvNet, optimized through Intel’s AI ecosystem. By leveraging the Intel oneAPI Base Toolkit, Intel AI Analytics Toolkit, and Intel extensions for PyTorch and scikit-learn, HippoScreen accelerated model build time by 2.4x. Additionally, Intel® VTune™ Profiler enabled efficient CPU resource management, helping ensure robust, scalable, and seamless operation in real-world clinical environments.

AI Tools Tailored to Clinical Needs

To meet the demanding requirements of real-world medical settings, HippoScreen relied on Intel’s comprehensive suite of hardware and software optimizations to enhance the speed, precision, and reliability of AI-powered neurological diagnostics.

With Intel solutions, HippoScreen achieved:

• A 2.4x acceleration in AI model generation,
• Faster analysis with improved diagnostic accuracy,
• Reliable and automated integration into structured clinical workflows.

A Technological Step Forward for Mental Health

Combining Intel technologies with HippoScreen’s algorithmic expertise paves the way for early and accurate detection of depression and other cognitive disorders. Already clinically validated in Taiwan, the SEA system is now deployed across several hospitals to support mental health diagnosis and ease the workload on healthcare professionalsBeyond clinical applications, these advancements also hold significant promise in cognitive research and education, providing deeper insights into mental states through brainwave data. A tangible example of AI at the service of public health.

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