Scientists will analyze millions of brain scans, using artificial intelligence, with the aim of developing a tool to predict a person's risk of dementia.
Researchers at the universities of Edinburgh and Dundee will examine scans of patients from Scotland, which have been collected over more than a decade, as part of a global study called NEURii. The team will use artificial intelligence to match image data with related data to find patterns that can help doctors better determine a person's risk of developing dementia.
The number of people in the world with dementia is predicted to triple to 153 million by 2050. Researchers warn that there is a real threat of rapid growth of this disease. The health and social care costs of this disease are also very high and exceed $1 trillion annually, studies say.
Scientists aim to create digital tools that radiologists can use to scan patients, determine their risk of dementia and diagnose the disease in its early stages. The tools could help speed the development of more precise treatments for dementia, experts say.
Professor Emanuele Trucco, artificial intelligence expert, said:
"This new data set will be useful for neurological researchers. If we create a successful proof of concept, we will have a set of software tools that are seamlessly integrated with routine radiology checks, that help in clinical decision-making and indicate the risk of dementia in its first steps."
1.6 million images will be scanned in this study, with the approval of the Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care in Scotland. The data will be held in the secure national archive in the country and a secure electronic data platform will be provided for research.
Professor Will Whiteley, from the Clinical Sciences Center for Brain Studies in Edinburgh, said:
"Better use of simple brain scans to predict dementia will lead to a more complete understanding of dementia and a diagnosis that can find its causes at an early stage and in turn, facilitate treatments." the new one. Currently, treatments for dementia are expensive and scarce. If we can collect data from a large group of people who are at high risk of dementia and then give their consent to participate in trials, we can start to develop new treatments."
Suggested Articles:
