Artificial intelligence can be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear
Researchers have successfully trained an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to detect early signs of cognitive decline, which may lead to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) after five years.
At present, there is no effective treatment or cure for AD, but there is growing evidence that this disease can be prevented by lifestyle changes.
The ability of artificial intelligence to predict the likelihood of AD can cause patients to change their lifestyles and accept early intervention, which may delay or even prevent the disease from occurring.
According to the Canadian Alzheimer’s Association, in 2016, 564,000 Canadians had AD or other types of dementia. It is expected to increase to 937,000 in the next 15 years.
The global figures published by the World Health Organization (WHO) are even more alarming. The current 50 million cases of dementia are expected to increase to 82 million by 2030 and will reach an incredible 152 million by 2050. Advertising is expected to account for at least 60 – 70%.
The current study used data from more than 800 Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging initiators to train their new algorithms. This includes healthy older people, those who already have early signs of cognitive decline, and others with frank AD.
Data includes clinical information, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) testing, and genetic evaluation.
Use these data training algorithms to learn signature or feature data patterns. This learning is then applied to other patients to predict upcoming cognitive decline and possible/possible episodes of AD.
The algorithmic predictions in this study were subsequently tested on a separate sample collected from Australian aging imaging and biomarker lifestyle studies.
The results are consistent, increasing the intensity of the findings.
Researchers are currently working on including more data in algorithms to improve the accuracy of predictions. The collected data can provide more detailed predictions that can be detected earlier.
This tool can be used to screen the general population with a high risk of cognitive impairment and the possibility of developing AD.
Our artificial intelligence approach as a “doctor’s assistant” may have important implications to help people get on the right path to treatment. For example, people can even start to change their lifestyles, which may delay the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease or even stop it completely. “
