Researchers say AI could lead to an early diagnosis of dementia that could improve patients’ treatment outcomes. The team begins an experiment to test the approach: to diagnose the disease with a single brain scan.
Test the tool in a real environment
AI has already been used to detect eye diseases Or to actively detect the first signs of esophageal cancer. Today, researchers claim that AI can diagnose dementia from a single brain scan. The team begins a pilot run to test the approach. She hopes this AI tool will lead to early diagnoses. This can improve treatment sick while Improve prediction accuracy.
According to Dr Timothy Reitman, who is leading the study (and is a senior clinical research associate and consultant neurologist at the University of Cambridge), the AI ​​system is a fascinating development. In the first year of testing, he and his team expect to be an AI system that uses algorithms to detect patterns in brain scanners. Tested in a real clinical environment. They want to run this test on about 500 patients at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and other dedicated memory clinics across the country.
Early diagnosis for faster treatment
According to Professor Zoe Kurtze from the University of Cambridge, early diagnosis helps Start treatment as soon as possible to slow the progression of the disease and reduce damage. It will also determine if symptoms will appear at a later time, if they do. The application of artificial intelligence to brain-scanning devices can Provide better answers for diagnosing other brain diseases Like the Alzheimer’s disease that Professor Kurtzi was working on 15 or 20 years ago.
To diagnose dementia today, clinicians must rely on the interpretation of brain scans and cognitive tests, often over a shorter or longer period of time. Machine learning models such as those developed by Professor Kurtzy can give clinicians more confidence in interpreting scans. This would lead to dMore accurate diagnosis It would have a huge impact on people with dementia and their families.
A promising start to research
However, Professor Tara Spears-Jones, deputy director of the University of Edinburgh’s Brain Sciences Discovery Center (not part of the research team) has some reservations. Finding ways to diagnose dementia so early in the disease process is a great goal for her. This will help both research and possibly improve treatment. corn Being happy at this point is still too early.
Professor Cliff Ballard, a dementia expert at the University of Exeter, is also heading in that direction. For him, it turns out thatAI improves diagnostic capabilities of brain scans Comparison with clinical reading of scintigraphy. However, there is so much inter-individual heterogeneity that it is not entirely feasible for an individual examination, biomarker, or clinical test to be too emphatic in a single evaluation. However, he argues, this approach is already a good start for research that will lead to improvements in diagnosis. corn We must be very careful not to create false hopes.