AI system may be able to detect dementia in a day
pharmafile | August 10, 2021 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development |
Researchers from Cambridge University and The Alan Turing Institute have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can diagnose dementia after a single brain scan.
The technology may also be able to predict whether the condition will remain stable for many years, slowly deteriorate, or need immediate treatment.
Currently it can take several tests to diagnose the condition after symptoms have already developed and often worsened.
In pre-clinical trials the AI algorithm has been able to diagnose dementia years before symptoms develop, even when there are no obvious signs of damage on the brain scan.
This early diagnosis, researcher say, can have a huge impact on patients and improve outcomes.
Prof Zoe Kourtzi, of Cambridge University and a fellow of The Alan Turing Institute, said: “If we intervene early, the treatments can kick in early and slow down the progression of the disease and at the same time avoid more damage.
“And it’s likely that symptoms occur much later in life or may never occur.”
Kourtzi’s system compares brain scans of those worried they might have dementia with those of thousands of dementia patients and their relevant medical records. The algorithm can identify patterns in the scans even expert neurologists cannot see and match them to patient outcomes in its database.
A clinical trial is now set to begin at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and other memory clinics around the country, with over 500 subjects expected to take part.
Dr Tim Rittman, who is leading the study with neuroscientists at Cambridge University, called the artificial-intelligence system a “fantastic development”. He said: “These set of diseases are really devastating for people. So, when I am delivering this information to a patient, anything I can do to be more confident about the diagnosis, to give them more information about the likely progression of the disease to help them plan their lives is a great thing to be able to do.”
Kat Jenkins
