Artificial intelligence for very young brains

IMAGE: Example of segmentation produced by the tool which separates the structures in cerebrospinal fluid (red), grey matter (blue) and white matter (yellow) from MRI images T2 (middle column) and T1... view more Canadian scientists have developed an innovative new technique that uses artificial intelligence to better define the different sections of the brain in newborns during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam. The results of this study -- a collaboration between researchers at Montreal's CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital and the ÉTS engineering school -- are published today in Frontiers in Neuroscience. "This is one of the first times that artificial intelligence has been used to better define the different parts of a newborn's brain on an MRI: namely the grey matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid," said Dr. Gregory A. Lodygensky, a neonatologist at CHU Sainte-Justine and professor at Université de Montréal. "Until today, the tools available were complex, often intermingled and difficult to access," he added. In collaboration with Professor Jose Dolz, an expert in medical image analysis and machine learning at ÉTS, the researchers were able to adapt the tools to the specificities of the neonatal setting and then validate them. This new technique allows babies' brains to be examined quickly, accurately and reliably.