AI fast-tracks dementia diagnoses by tapping into 'hidden information' in brain waves

As dementia becomes more widespread, Mayo Clinic researchers believe that artificial intelligence is the key to enabling earlier and faster diagnoses. By pairing AI and EEG (electroencephalogram) tests, the team at the Mayo Clinic Neurology AI Program (NAIP) in Rochester, Minnesota, was able to identify specific types of dementia sooner than they would have through human analysis. Based on these findings, EEGs could eventually provide a more accessible, less expensive and less invasive way to assess brain health earlier, according to a hospital press release. The research was published last week in the journal Brain Communications. With an EEG, a technician attaches small metal electrodes to the patient's scalp, which measure electrical activity in the brain.