Researchers at UCLA are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to help identify who’s at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists are developing an AI tool to detect those cases and reduce disparities in many communities.
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., and researchers say an early diagnosis is important for many reasons.
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Based on our past 30 years of research, we no longer think of Alzheimer’s as primarily a disease of the brain. Rather, we believe that Alzheimer’s is principally a disorder of the immune system within the brain.
The immune system, found in every organ in the body, is a collection of cells and molecules that work in harmony to help repair injuries and protect from foreign invaders.
When a person trips and falls, the immune system helps to mend the damaged tissues. When someone experiences a viral or bacterial infection, the immune system helps in the fight against these microbial invaders.
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Our circadian rhythms, the internal body clock that determines when we are most active and alert and when we wind down and go to sleep during a typical 24-hour day, may play a role in our risk of dementia, according to a new report. The study found that people with less regular circadian rhythms, as well as those whose activity levels peaked later in the afternoon, were at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
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This study explored whether early signs of Alzheimer’s disease could be detected in routine medical records. We analyzed the health records of over 295,000 people from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. We focused on words in doctors’ notes that reflect a wide range of early symptoms, including changes in memory, speech, cognition, mood, physical functioning, and daily activity needs. These signs appeared more frequently and increased more rapidly in people who were later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. A computer model built on these words was able to predict who might develop the disease years in advance. These findings suggest that ordinary clinical notes could help doctors notice early warning signs of Alzheimer’s and support earlier care and planning.
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Alzheimer; News from the web:
Family members remember some of the early signs of Alzheimer’s in their loved ones quite well. This type of dementia often begins with struggles in communication, lapses in memory, and confusion around everyday problem-solving.
But scientists are now uncovering evidence of another early signal — mood disorders, like depression and bipolar disorder, that begin later in life. While a link between these conditions and Alzheimer’s has long been suspected, what’s been missing is a clear understanding of how the two connect in the brain.
That’s starting to change. A research team from Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) recently found significant amounts of tau protein — a hallmark of Alzheimer’s — in the brains of people with late-life mood disorders (LLMDs). Their study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, suggests that these psychiatric symptoms might serve as a warning sign for neurodegenerative disease.
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Alzheimer; News from the web:
Now doctors have a new tool: an Alzheimer’s blood test. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first test that uses a blood sample to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. The disease, which causes a decline in memory and thinking skills, affects nearly 7 million Americans—and is projected to become more prevalent.
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