AI could spot signs of Alzheimer's disease six years before normally diagnosed

Artificial intelligence could spot early signs of Alzheimer's disease more than six years before a patient would normally be diagnosed, research suggests. Scientists conducting a small pilot study trained a self-learning computer programme to recognise features in brain scans which are too subtle for humans to see. The system was able to detect the beginnings of Alzheimer's in 40 patients an average of more than six years before they were formally diagnosed. The American researchers trained the "deep learning algorithm" using more than 2,100 PET (positron emission tomography) scans from 1,002 patients. PET scans measure metabolic activity in the brain by tracking the uptake of a radioactive glucose compound injected into the blood.