AI breakthrough improves Alzheimer's predictions

In a recent study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, researchers developed a method for predicting the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Photo by David Matos on Unsplash

Welcome Back,

There are going to be a lot of positive impacts of AI in healthcare.

Check out my Benefactor section of my Newsletter for more healthcare related topics. Some of my readers might not know, but I actually care a lot about this domain.

Everything from early diagnosis to better tracking, to more personalized care is going to improve fairly significantly over the next few decades. You can read my previous post about today’s topic here.

As populations begin to age in the developed world especially the impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia on the whole is going to get a lot bigger and more urgent of a healthcare issue. We will desperately need AI’s help here to improve care, predict outcomes and lower costs.

• Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have shown significant improvements in predicting the progression of Alzheimer's disease compared to traditional clinical methods.

• Alzheimer's disease is the main cause of dementia, accounting for 60% to 80% of cases.

• The number of dementia cases is expected to triple over the next 50 years — and early detection is a key factor in how effective treatment can be.

• Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, is a progressive disease that begins with mild memory loss. It impacts the part of the brain responsible for memory, thought, and language. Eventually, it results in the inability to converse and respond to one’s surroundings.

• Dementia poses a significant global healthcare challenge, affecting over 55 million people worldwide at an estimated annual cost of $820 billion.

Cambridge scientists have developed an AI tool that predicts with 82% accuracy whether individuals with early signs of dementia will remain stable or progress to Alzheimer's disease within three years. In their study published Friday in eClinical Medicine, researchers say this tool is more accurate than current clinical methods.

“We’ve created a tool which, despite using only data from cognitive tests and MRI scans, is much more sensitive than current approaches at predicting whether someone will progress from mild symptoms to Alzheimer’s—and if so, whether this progress will be fast or slow,” said Zoe Kourtzi, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge

I’m a big believer in early diagnosis and better tracking of chronic conditions because it takes a lot of the anxiety out of how we and families can cope with the care of our loved ones and our own well-being. AI will be a new foundation of better early diagnosis and risk-mitigation and lead to a new era of preventative precision medicine.

Interested in AI in Healthcare and Diseases?

Here is some of my previous work summarizing mostly papers in the area:

• Breast Cancer

• Radiology

• Autism

• Alzheimer’s

• Heart disease

• Cancer

• Parkinson’s

1. AI in mammography screening is safe and dramatically reduces Radiologist workloads ~ HERE.

2. 🤯 A.I. is Starting to Build the Future of Healthcare ~ HERE.

3. A.I. Can Help Detect Brain Tumor Boundaries ~ HERE.

4. Google AI and Breast Cancer Making Progress ~ HERE.

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5. Artificial Intelligence will enable Early Autism Detection ~ HERE.

6. AI and the Future of Sepsis ~ HERE.

7. A.I. in Alzheimer’s disease in 2022 ~ HERE.

8. Are A.I. Eye Checks the New Heart Disease Warning Test? ~ HERE.

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9. Why A.I. in Healthcare is a New Paradigm ~ HERE.

10. AI Detects Tuberculosis from X-rays ~ HERE.

11. AI and Drug Overdose Deaths ~ HERE.

12. AI Has the Potential to Transform Healthcare ~ HERE.

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13. AI can reveal new cell biology ~ HERE.

14. AI Evolving our Understanding of the Human Gut ~ HERE.

15. Artificial Intelligence is improving the use of Hearing Aids ! ~ HERE.

16. Hospitals are turning to AI to Shorten Hospital Stays ~ HERE.

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17. A.I. Can Now Predict Tumor Regrowth in Cancer Patients ~ HERE.

18. Artificial Intelligence in Autism Detection ~ HERE.

19. The Future of A.I. in Healthcare. ~ HERE.

20. Artificial Intelligence is Taking on Parkinson's Disease. ~HERE.

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21. Artificial Intelligence Helps Cut Miss Rate of Colorectal Polyps. ~ HERE.

22. A.I. Advances in Treatment Of Spinal Cord Injuries and Surgery. ~ HERE.

23. Future of A.I. in Neurosurgery. ~ HERE.

24. Artificial Intelligence Could Help Detect Onset of Cardiovascular Disease. ~ HERE.

25. Can A.I Improve our Breast Cancer Screening?~ HERE.

26. Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Future of Radiology. ~ HERE.

AI that predicts progress of Alzheimer's disease - Cambridge University

Scientists have developed an artificially-intelligent tool capable of predicting in four cases out of five whether people with early signs of dementia will remain stable or develop Alzheimer’s disease. [see link on YouTube and transcript]

• More insights about the study and about the field as a whole below for premium members.