AI-Powered Analysis of Brain Scans to Revolutionize Early Dementia Detection

Scientists to use AI and 1.6 million brain scans for earlier and more accurate dementia diagnoses

One of the bright sides of AI could be in helping predict a common ailment of aging. Researchers in Scotland hope to develop a set of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can predict the risk of dementia in their patients. To do so, they will compare up to 1.6 million CT and MRI scans with linked public health records to find patterns that could help doctors better predict someone's risk of developing dementia. At the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee, a team of scientists working as part of a global research effort called NEURii is preparing to collect the data. The CT and MRI scans have been collected from patients in Scotland over more than a decade. Using AI and machine learning, the team hopes to develop a suite of tools that radiologists can use as a standard reference when examining new scans. "Should we establish a successful proof of concept, we will have a suite of software tools that are smoothly and unobtrusively integrated with routine radiology operations that assist clinical decision-making and flag the risk of dementia as early as possible," said Professor Emanuele Trucco, an expert in AI and medical imaging at the University of Dundee, as quoted by The Guardian. The efforts could also be used to accelerate the development of treatments for dementia. According to Professor Will Whiteley from Edinburgh's Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, the project co-leader, making better use of brain scans could "lead to better understanding of dementia and potentially earlier diagnosis of its causes." This will, he said, according to The Guardian, "make development of new treatments easier." AI is already used to help with other medical conditions. It's been proven useful in listening for signs of heart disease when paired with a stethoscope. Other recent projects have used AI to help people with vision impairment better understand and navigate the world around them. Dementia is a growing concern globally. Current studies suggest more than 55 million people already suffer from dementia globally. Researchers believe the number of cases of dementia will nearly triple to 153 million by 2050. Health and social services costs related to sufferers of dementia already exceed $1 trillion (£780 billion) each year, according to some estimates. The NEURii research project also includes as partners global pharmaceutical company Eisai, Bill Gates' personal service company Gates Ventures, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), and medical research not-for-profit LifeArc. If the research is approved by National Health Service (NHS) Scotland, the team will store its data in the Scottish National Safe Haven, a secure platform commissioned by NHS Scotland for such uses.

Scientists to use AI to analyse 1.6m brain scans to develop tool predicting dementia risk

Researchers will use artificial intelligence to match image data of patients from Scotland with linked health records Scientists are to analyse more than a million brain scans using artificial intelligence with the aim of developing a tool to predict a person's risk of dementia. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee will examine CT and MRI scans of patients from Scotland captured over more than a decade, as part of a global research effort called NEURii. The team will use AI and machine learning to match the image data with linked health records to find patterns that could help doctors better determine a person's risk of developing dementia. The number of people living with dementia globally is forecast to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, and researchers warn this presents a rapidly growing threat to health and social care systems. Health and social costs linked to dementia already exceed $1tn (£780bn) a year, research shows. The scientists aim to create digital tools that radiologists can use when scanning patients to determine their risk of dementia and diagnose the disease and related conditions earlier. The tools could also help speed up the development of more precise treatments for dementia, they said. Prof Emanuele Trucco, an expert in AI and medical imaging at Dundee, said: "This new data set will be of great use to neurological researchers. "Should we establish a successful proof of concept, we will have a suite of software tools that are smoothly and unobtrusively integrated with routine radiology operations that assist clinical decision-making and flag the risk of dementia as early as possible." Up to 1.6 million images will be scanned, with the approval of the public benefit and privacy panel for health and social care, part of NHS Scotland. The data will be held in the Scottish National Safe Haven, commissioned by Public Health Scotland to provide a secure platform for the use of NHS electronic data for research. The project co-leader, Prof Will Whiteley from Edinburgh's Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, said: "Better use of simple brain scans to predict dementia will lead to better understanding of dementia and potentially earlier diagnosis of its causes, which in turn will make development of new treatments easier. "Currently treatments for dementia are expensive, scarce and of uncertain value. If we can collect data from a large group of people at high risk, who then give their consent to take part in trials, we can really start to develop new treatments."

AI to now help scientists create dementia risk tools by analysing 1.6mn brain scans

"Currently treatments for dementia are expensive, scarce and of uncertain value. If we can collect data from a large group of people at high risk, who then give their consent to take part in trials, we can really start to develop new treatments," he added. Meanwhile, an expert in AI and medical imaging at the University of Dundee, Professor Emanuele Trucco said, "This new data set will be of great use to neurological researchers. Should we establish a successful proof of concept, we will have a suite of software tools that are smoothly and unobtrusively integrated with routine radiology operations that assist clinical decision-making and flag the risk of dementia as early as possible."

One million brain scans used to assess dementia risk

Scientists are hoping that access to more than 1.6 million brain scans collected from patients across Scotland could help predict a person's risk of dementia. A team of 20 researchers from the universities of Edinburgh and Dundee have been given unprecedented permission to view a huge number of anonymous scans gathered from across the Scottish population over a decade. It is the first time scientists in the UK have had access to such large volumes of valuable data. They will use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse the scans to see if there are patterns or signs of dementia.