Computer-implemented methods and automated systems for real-time detection of spreading depolarizations in a brain injured patient, based an algorithm of (a) providing a reference data base of spreading depolarization waveform templates generated from EEG recordings of confirmed spreading depolarizations (SD) in a reference brain-injured patient cohort (b) recording an EEG of the brain injured patient to generate recorded EEG waveforms (c) detecting a slow potential change present in a recorded EEG waveform by applying a power spectral density estimate to the recorded waveform (d) comparing a detected SPC to a reference database of SD waveform template to identify a candidate SD and (e) rejecting a candidate SD as a false positive based on overall signal power and amplitude analysis and identifying a non-rejected candidate SD as a detected SD.
