A new study has found that artificial intelligence can predict accurately which individuals may develop dementia.
The study, published last week in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that AI has a 92 percent accuracy rating for predicting which memory clinic attendees would develop dementia within two years.
The findings are based on data from 15,307 patients in the U.S. who attended memory clinics between 2005 and 2015. The participants did not have dementia at the start of the study, though many were having difficulties with memory or other brain functions. The algorithmic accuracy of AI predictions, according to the authors, may be able to reduce the number of false dementia diagnoses — and possibly help doctors intervene earlier.
“We know that dementia is a highly feared condition. Embedding machine learning in memory clinics could help ensure diagnosis is far more accurate, reducing the unnecessary distress that a wrong diagnosis could cause,” Janice Ranson, study co-author, said in a press release.
When it comes to dementia, misdiagnosis is a major issue: Researchers discovered that approximately 8 percent of dementia diagnoses in their large data sample were made in error and then reversed. Machine learning was able to accurately identify over 80 percent of those inaccurate diagnoses.
The team now plans to conduct follow-up studies to assess whether the machine learning method can be used in clinics to improve dementia diagnosis, treatment and care.
“Artificial intelligence has huge potential for improving early detection of the diseases that cause dementia and could revolutionize the diagnosis process for people concerned about themselves or a loved one showing symptoms.” Dr. Rosa Sancho, the head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said.
“This technique is a significant improvement over existing alternative approaches and could give doctors a basis for recommending lifestyle changes and identifying people who might benefit from support or in-depth assessments,” Sancho added.
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