While there are concerns about the potential risks posed by artificial intelligence, it is also crucial to recognize its significant advantages.
One field where AI shows promise is healthcare.
For instance, AI-assisted early detection of breast cancer was achieved four years before it fully developed in one woman’s case.
Researchers are now hopeful that AI technology can also be used to identify individuals at risk of developing dementia.
Scientists at Mass General Brigham have collaborated to develop a new AI tool that monitors brainwave patterns during sleep.
This process involves using electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive method that assesses brain activity through sensors on the scalp, as detailed in a news release from the academic healthcare system’s website.
To create this innovative tool, researchers analyzed sleep study data from women over the age of 65, tracking them over five years.
By examining changes in brainwave patterns, they successfully predicted which participants would later be diagnosed with cognitive impairment, including dementia.
These EEG devices now hold the potential to identify the condition much earlier, enabling timely interventions.
The AI tool demonstrated a success rate by identifying 85 percent of individuals who later developed cognitive impairment, achieving an overall accuracy of 77 percent.
During the sleep study using EEG technology, participants also underwent various cognitive tests.
According to the research paper, among the 281 women who were initially documented as having normal cognitive function, these cognitive tests were administered again five years later.
By the second round of assessments, 96 of the 281 women had developed cognitive impairment.
Focusing on the brainwaves of those who eventually exhibited cognitive impairment, researchers identified some ‘subtle’ changes.
Lead author Shahab Haghayegh, PhD, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, stated: “Using novel sophisticated analyses, advanced information theory tools, and AI, we can detect subtle changes in brainwave patterns during sleep that signal future cognitive impairment, offering a window of opportunity for intervention years before symptoms appear.”
There is optimism that this technology will “become a powerful tool in predicting cognitive decline.”