Tools for earlier and better dementia diagnoses
If you are forgetting things more often and frequently lose your train of thought, does this mean you definitely have, or will get, dementia? Not necessarily. However, what is the likelihood that this will happen? Researchers supported by the EU-funded AI-Mind project are developing AI-based tools to predict which individuals with mild cognitive impairment are in fact at risk of developing dementia. At the heart of this project is a study to help develop and validate these tools. The research study is taking place in Finland, Italy, Norway and Spain. Launched in January 2022, it is the largest European study of its kind. The research is led by Prof. Ira Haraldsen at AI-Mind project coordinator Oslo University Hospital. “The background for our project is a worldwide clinical need,” states Prof. Haraldsen in a news item posted on ‘sciencenorway.no’. “Currently, we are not able to predict your risk of developing dementia if you are affected by mild cognitive impairment.”
Early diagnosis is key
Dementia is currently diagnosed only after clear symptoms have appeared. In the researcher’s opinion, this is too late. “By then, you can alleviate symptoms but you can’t affect the course of the disease. What we want is to shift the diagnosis into another time window,” she reports. The study will include 1 000 participants between 60 and 80 years old with mild cognitive impairment. Sufficient participants have already been recruited from Italy and Norway, but some are still missing from Finland and Spain. What is in store for participants in the AI-Mind study? Each participant visits the clinical site four times over 2 years, during which they go through several screening and data collection stages. They are first asked to complete cognitive tests on aspects such as memory, thinking and language, and also undergo professional screening to ascertain if they are eligible to join the study. During one visit, a blood sample is taken to investigate genetic and other factors linked to the risk of developing dementia. Electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography tests are carried out at every visit to measure electrical activity in the brain. “What is interesting is that among people with mild cognitive impairment, 50 per cent develop dementia and 50 per cent do not. Doctors today don’t know which group you belong to,” notes Prof. Haraldsen. The goal is for the AI tools being developed through AI-Mind (Intelligent digital tools for screening of brain connectivity and dementia risk estimation in people affected by mild cognitive impairment.) to be able to tell whether someone is at risk or if they can rest assured that they are safe from the condition. “The dream is population-based screening of, for example, all 55-year-olds,” observes the researcher. Individuals who are identified as high risk can then be followed up and risk factors contributing to dementia corrected. For more information, please see: AI-Mind project website
Keywords
AI-Mind, dementia, cognitive impairment, AI, brain