AI Algorithm Can Diagnose Alzheimer 6 Years Early! The Magic Of Medicine!

The University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) has recently introduced an AI algorithm which is based on a special imaging technology: 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET).

According to the researchers, this algorithm aims to boost the brain imaging techniques’ performance and then, it can help doctors to make the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease more correctly and earlier than they can do at the present.

To check the AI algorithm’s effectiveness, they did many tests via the data of a lot of patients. They are over 2,100 FDG-PET images of brain gathered from 1,002 patients and 40 independent imaging exams chosen from 40 patients.

After collecting the data, the algorithm can realize patterns of metabolism which is consistent with Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers claimed that its sensitivity reached 100% and therefore, time to detect Alzheimer will be much sooner. With the AI algorithm’s support, the estimated diagnosis time is 6 years earlier than it is now.

Jae Ho Sohn revealed that its performance made them absolutely satisfactory. It could realize all of the tested cases which led to Alzheimer. Jae Ho Sohn is now working at Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Department of UCSF.

Also in the Radiology Journal, he further said with the great combination between FDG-PET and AI, imaging tau protein PET and beta-amyloid plaque could supplement another dimension of important predictive power.

It is clear that diagnosing Alzheimer has still faced many challenges ahead.

Until now, researchers have not yet determined the reasons for the progressive brain disorder. The disease process may be related to metabolic changes. It can be seen via glucose absorption in our brain. Of course, it’s not easy to recognize these changes.

Jae Ho Sohn told that it would be too late to heal Alzheimer’s disease if we waited to collect all of the symptoms. The early diagnosis would bring more opportunities to choose an ideal treatment in each case. That may be reducing the rate of disease development as well as stop the disease.

The AI algorithm is expected to be effectively applied in the radiology, along with imaging and biochemical tests, and help doctors to intervene the disease earlier.