AI can detect Alzheimer’s a decade before symptoms show
The programme could help patients receive medication early to manage the disease

Researchers have created an artificial intelligence (AI) programme that can detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease up to ten years before symptoms appear.
Developed by a team at the University of Bari, in Italy, the computer system scans the brain for “tiny structural changes” that indicate the early stages of the disease, reports Engadget.
The AI was fed 38 MRI scans from Alzheimer’s patients, and 29 from healthy patients, the website says, to help it learn common patterns in neurological activity and the symptoms of the disease.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Researchers then used the programme to “process brain scans from 148 subjects”. The AI was able to correctly detect Alzheimer’s, with a success rate of 86% - and it could also identify “mild cognitive impairment” 84% of the time.
That suggests the programme could be used to find the disease “almost a decade before the appearance of clinical symptoms”, says International Business Times.
Although there is not yet a cure for Alzheimer’s, early diagnosis and treatment can slow down the progression of the disease.
This isn’t the first study that involves using “cutting-edge technology to help diagnose Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases”, reports Digital Trends.
Scientists at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam have also been using MRI brain scans to try to achieve earlier Alzheimer’s diagnoses, the website says, while an AI programme being developed by researchers from several universities in California may soon be able to detect the disease through an eye test.
Sign up for The WeekDay email, your twice-daily digest of news and comment
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
France's war on 'Algerian Nutella'
Under The Radar A wildly popular hazelnut spread is causing a storm across the channel
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America' and 'How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time'
Feature How William F. Buckley Jr brought charm to conservatism and a deep dive into the wellness craze
-
Unreal: A quantum leap in AI video
Feature Google's new Veo 3 is making it harder to distinguish between real videos and AI-generated ones
-
Will 2027 be the year of the AI apocalypse?
A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon
-
College grads are seeking their first jobs. Is AI in the way?
In The Spotlight Unemployment is rising for young professionals
-
Disney, Universal sue AI firm over 'plagiarism'
Speed Read The studios say that Midjourney copied characters from their most famous franchises
-
Learning loss: AI cheating upends education
Feature Teachers are questioning the future of education as students turn to AI for help with their assignments
-
AI: Will it soon take your job?
Feature AI developers warn that artificial intelligence could eliminate half of all entry-level jobs within five years
-
The rise of 'vibe coding'
In The Spotlight Silicon Valley rush to embrace AI tools that allow anyone to code and create software
-
Is China winning the AI race?
Today's Big Question Or is it playing a different game than the US?