At the moment, the software developed by researchers Matthijs Biesbroek and Mirthe Coenen can only be used in patients who already have cognitive complaints, such as the onset of dementia. In the future, however, it should also be possible, the researchers hope, to use this smart diagnostics in people who do not yet have any complaints. For this, the smart software must be further developed, whereby the use of AI (artificial intelligence) is also being considered.
Age damage and cognitive problems
The white matter in the brain is, as it were, the ‘fiber optic network’ through which all information flows. The substance consists of axons of nerve cells, enclosed by a fatty white substance, myelin, which protects the axons as a kind of insulating material. Old age is one of the important ‘enemies’ of the white matter. As a result, the fabric is damaged and cognitive problems can arise, among other things.
The consequences of these injuries can be different for each patient. What consequences the patient experiences depends in particular on the location of the damage. “Sometimes people have a lot of white matter damage, and they don’t suffer from it. Other times, people function less well than before, while they have relatively little damage to their white matter,” explains neurologist and researcher Matthijs Biesbroek.
Predict risk of dementia
Thanks to the research and the smart software of the UMCU team, it is now possible to determine and predict what consequences the damage to the white matter can have for individual patients. The researchers first succeeded in identifying the main nodes of the white matter.
They then used this information to develop smart software that can analyze brain scans. This software is therefore able to predict which complaints, such as dementia, patients may develop in the future due to damage to the white matter.
“To determine which of these white matter pathways are important and which are less important, we needed a large group of patients,” says Matthijs. For those patients, both a brain scan and cognitive tests had to be available. In total, the Utrecht researchers used data from 3,525 patients from Europe, Asia and the United States.
Further development with AI
The software as it has now been developed can also be used for the analysis of standard brain scans such as those made at the memory clinic. But, as already mentioned, the software is only suitable for the analysis of people who already have problems.
The researchers are already working on the further development of the software. In addition, it must be possible to go through all steps in the process fully automatically. They even have plans to apply AI (artificial intelligence) to give the program the ability to learn. The software is expected to be ready in early 2023.
The use of AI applications and algorithms to improve and accelerate the diagnosis of brain problems, such as dementia, is not new. The first steps in this area were already taken years ago. One of the more recent initiatives is the international AI-Mind project. It wants to develop smart digital instruments with the help of artificial intelligence to screen brain connections and estimate the risk of dementia in people with mild cognitive problems.
ICT&health congres 2023
On January 30, 2023, ICT&health kicks off the new healthcare year with the annual major and influential healthcare conference on healthcare transformation.
Also be present? Book your entrance ticket quickly