New AI-based tool to spot cognitive impairment, prevent Alzheimer’s: Study

A team of US researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) based system that may help assess cognitive impairments and curb the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in older adults. 

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, so identifying people with cognitive issues early could lead to interventions and better outcomes.

However, diagnosing MCI can be a long and difficult process, especially in rural areas where access to licensed neuropsychologists is limited.

Researchers from the University of Missouri created a portable system that comes with a depth camera, a force plate, and an interface board. The study showed it can efficiently measure multiple aspects of motor function.

The team examined older adults, some of whom had MCI, and asked them to complete three activities: standing still, walking, and standing up from a bench.

Participants had to complete these activities while counting backward in intervals of seven at the same time.

Based on their performance, which was captured by the new portable system, the data was fed into a machine learning model — a type of artificial intelligence — that accurately identified 83 per cent of those in the study with MCI.

“The areas of the brain involved in cognitive impairment overlap with areas of the brain involved in motor function, so when one is diminished, the other is impacted as well,” said Trent Guess, an associate professor in the College of Health Sciences, at the varsity.

“These can be very subtle differences in motor function related to balance and walking that our new device is able to detect but would go unnoticed through observation,” Guess added.

With the number of people globally with Alzheimer’s disease expected to surge, the portable device has the potential to help millions of older adults given that MCI is one of the precursors to Alzheimer’s and dementia.

“This portable system has many other applications, too, including looking at those with concussions, sports rehabilitation, ALS and Parkinson’s disease, knee replacements and hip replacements,” Guess said.

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