AI Could Predict Cognitive Decline Leading to Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease in the Next 5 Years
A team of scientists has successfully trained a new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to make accurate predictions regarding cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
Dr. Mallar Chakravarty, a computational neuroscientist at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and his colleagues from the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, designed an algorithm that learns signatures from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), genetics, and clinical data. This specific algorithm can help predict whether an individual鈥檚 cognitive faculties are likely to deteriorate towards Alzheimer鈥檚 in the next five years.
鈥淎t the moment, there are limited ways to treat Alzheimer鈥檚 and the best evidence we have is for prevention. Our AI methodology could have significant implications as a 鈥榙octor鈥檚 assistant鈥� that would help stream people onto the right pathway for treatment. For example, one could even initiate lifestyle changes that may delay the beginning stages of Alzheimer鈥檚 or even prevent it altogether,鈥� says Chakravarty, an Assistant Professor in 91社区鈥檚 Department of Psychiatry.
The findings, published in, used data from the Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease NeuroImaging Initiative. The researchers trained their algorithms using data from more than 800 people ranging from normal healthy seniors to those experiencing mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease patients. They replicated their results within the study on an independently collected sample from the Australian Imaging and Biomarkers Lifestyle Study of Ageing.
Can the predictions be improved with more data?
鈥淲e are currently working on testing the accuracy of predictions using new data. It will help us to refine predictions and determine if we can predict even farther into the future,鈥� says Chakravarty. With more data, the scientists would be able to better identify those in the population at greatest risk for cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer鈥檚.
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, 564,000 Canadians had Alzheimer鈥檚 or another form of dementia in 2016. The figure will rise to 937,000 within 15 years.
Worldwide, around 50million people have dementia and the total number is projected to reach 82million in 2030 and 152 in 2050, according to the World Health Organization. Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, the most common form of dementia, may contribute to 60鈥�70% of cases. Presently, there is no truly effective treatment for this disease.
This work was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences andEngineering Research Council of Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec鈥擲ant茅, Weston Brain Institute, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson鈥檚 Research, Alzheimer鈥檚 Society, Brain Canada, and the 91社区 Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives - Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
The article 鈥溾�� was published in PLOS Computational Biology
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