Computers diagnose Alzheimer's disease 'faster than experts'
Computers can predict Alzheimer's disease more accurately than experts, research claims
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Friday, 22, Feb 2008 03:57
Computers are able to diagnose Alzheimer's disease faster and more accurately than experts, according to a new study.
The disease, which is caused by the build-up of plaques in the brain, is usually diagnosed using a combination of brain scans, blood tests and interviews carried out by a trained clinician.
Accuracy of the diagnosis is said to be about 85 per cent.
Latest research led by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging has found that the scans of patients with Alzheimer's can be distinguished from those of healthy individuals and patients with other forms of dementia.
Publishing their findings in the journal Brain, the researchers say computers can identify the characteristic damage of Alzheimer's disease with an accuracy as high as 96 per cent.
"The advantage of using computers is that they prove cheaper, faster and more accurate than the current method of diagnosis," said Professor Richard Frackowiak.
"The new method makes an objective diagnosis without the need for human intervention. This will be particularly attractive for areas of the world where there is a shortage of trained clinicians and when a standardised reliable diagnosis is needed, for example in drug trials."
He said future research will focus on whether the new technique can be used to reliably track progression of the disease.
"This could prove a powerful and non-invasive tool for screening the efficacy of new drug treatments speedily, without a need for large costly clinical trials," Professor Frackowiak explained.