WVU AI could predict Alzheimer’s disease in patients

Article owned and originally published by WDTV 5 News on Feb. 20, 2024.

Original Article

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - A new study from West Virginia University says researchers can help predict Alzheimer’s disease using AI and biology.

Officials say researchers discovered a set of diagnostic metabolic biomarkers that they say can help them detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages, as well as determine risk factors and treatment interventions.

Furthermore, they say an AI that can analyze the data using deep learning could help them use vast volumes of data and complex algorithms to make their predictions.

The study was published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences and contained details on which biomarkers are most relevant to Alzheimer’s disease as well as the plans for training an AI model to utilize the data.

WVU officials say in medicine, biomarkers are measurable indicators of the severity or presence of a disease. People would most commonly associate them with the numbers on their bloodwork report showing cholesterol or glucose levels, for example.

For the study, data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative was obtained from 78 people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 99 people with normal cognitive function.

Participants ranged in age from 75 to 82.