Health
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.
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The research was published last week in the journal Brain Communications.
What is an EEG?
With an EEG, a technician attaches small metal electrodes to the patient’s scalp, which measure electrical activity in the brain.
The test produces a recording of wavy lines that represent the brain’s electrical impulses.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test that measures electrical activity in the brain using small, metal discs (electrodes) attached to the scalp. This activity shows up as wavy lines on an EEG recording. (iStock)
It is primarily used to diagnose epilepsy, but can also be used to identify other brain conditions, according to Dr. David Jones, a practicing clinician specializing in behavioral neurology, who directs the artificial intelligence program at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
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The clinic performs thousands of EEGs each year to evaluate patients with neurological problems.
It’s been known for some time that brain wave patterns change in patients with dementia or cognitive problems caused by Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body disease, Jones said in a phone interview with Fox News Digital.
“However, it takes a lot of specialized analysis, expertise and manual labor to extract that information, so Alzheimer’s and dementia are not routinely assessed on EEG.”
Tapping into ‘hidden information’
With this study, the researchers set out to find “hidden information” in patients’ brain waves using computer algorithms, without manual labor, Jones said.
The AI tool was built in-house at Mayo Clinic, trained on data from more than 11,000 patients who received EEGs over a decade-long period.
EEGs are primarily used to diagnose epilepsy, but they can also be used to identify other brain conditions. (iStock)
In analyzing complex brain waves, the model identified six specific patterns that appeared in patients with Alzheimer’s or Lewy body disease that were not found in those who had no cognitive trouble, according to Jones.
The correlation was confirmed by also looking at other measures, such as cognitive testing, blood biomarkers and brain PET scans.
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Overall, the AI tool decreased the EEG reading time by 50% and increased the accuracy of those readings “pretty significantly,” Jones said.
“This tells us that there is a lot of unused information in clinically acquired EEGs that we can extract automatically — and now we can begin to build better tools, algorithms and methods,” Jones said.
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 with human analysis. (iStock)
It would be “very difficult” to perform this type of analysis at scale without AI or machine learning technology, according to the neurologist.
‘Significant leap forward’
Harvey Castro, a Dallas-based board-certified emergency medicine physician and national speaker on artificial intelligence in health care, was not involved in the study but referred to Mayo Clinic’s research as “a significant leap forward.”
“This technology can rapidly and precisely analyze brain wave patterns, identifying early signs of dementia often invisible to the human eye,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There is a lot of unused information in clinically acquired EEGs that we can extract automatically.”
As an ER doctor, Castro said he does not typically use EEGs due to the time required to interpret the results.
“However, AI technology allows for fast processing of large amounts of data, facilitating quicker, more informed decisions about a patient’s cognitive health,” he said.
“As a result, I can see this becoming a new tool for me to use in the ER.”
The end goal is to incorporate brain scans, blood work, cognitive tests and brain waves into “one complete model of brain health,” a researcher said. (iStock)
AI-driven EEG analysis could be a “game-changer” in rural and underserved areas, according to Castro.
“It provides a cost-effective, non-invasive method to screen for cognitive issues early, where advanced diagnostic tools like MRIs or PET scans are limited.”
Next steps
The ultimate goal is to include this AI-driven EEG analysis into a “multimodal” approach to dementia testing, according to Jones.
“That means being able to model brain scans, blood work, cognitive tests and brain waves into one complete model of brain health,” he told Fox News Digital.
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The next step is to implement the AI tool into routine clinical practice.
“So if you’re coming in and having an EEG for epilepsy or a sleep study, we’ll also simultaneously be able to tell you something about your cognitive health, and whether we see something that means you might need to see a behavioral neurologist,” Jones said.
There are still several years of research ahead before this technology becomes widely accessible, the researcher noted. (iStock)
In the future, the neurologist envisions EEGs becoming a “highly scalable and portable” technology, where people can even perform cognitive assessments remotely — “in the same way that you measure blood pressure or heart rate in your own home.”
There are still several years of research ahead before this technology becomes widely accessible, Jones noted.
Potential risks and limitations
Despite the benefits of this type of technology, Castro cautioned that there are challenges with integrating AI into clinical practice.
“While AI can provide valuable insights, the clinician’s expertise and empathy remain irreplaceable.”
“These include the need for substantial training for health care professionals to use these tools effectively and the potential for over-reliance on AI at the expense of clinical judgment,” he told Fox News Digital.
It’s also important to balance the use of AI with a “human touch,” Castro said.
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“While AI can provide valuable insights, the clinician’s expertise and empathy remain irreplaceable in delivering holistic patient care.”
Other considerations include ensuring patient data privacy, obtaining informed consent and working to prevent biases in AI algorithms, the doctor added.
In analyzing complex brain waves, the model identified six specific patterns that appeared in patients with Alzheimer’s or Lewy body disease that were not found in those who had no cognitive trouble. (iStock)
Jones, the Mayo Clinic neurologist, acknowledged that there are risks in relying too heavily on algorithms, but emphasized that the technology is designed using “real-world data for real-world use.”
“Its value is gauged by whether it’s helping us take care of our patients — that’s our focus.”
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The team is “well aware” of potential problems and takes steps to mitigate them, Jones told Fox News Digital.
“We follow good AI and machine learning practices as part of the ethos of our software design and the values of Mayo Clinic.”
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A single 10-minute workout may trigger blood changes that help fight colon cancer.
That’s according to new research from scientists at Newcastle University, who found that exercise quickly changes the blood in ways that affect colon cancer cells in the lab.
In the study, the U.K. researchers exposed colon cancer cells to human blood serum collected immediately after exercise, finding that the cells repaired DNA damage faster and showed gene activity patterns linked to slower growth.
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The blood samples came from 30 adults who had just completed a short, high-intensity cycling workout that lasted about 10 to 12 minutes, according to a press release.
Even a 10-minute burst of intense exercise may send protective signals through the blood that affect colon cancer cells, researchers say. (iStock)
Samuel T. Orange, an associate professor at Newcastle University and one of the study’s authors, spoke with Fox News Digital about the findings.
“Our findings show that exercise rapidly triggers molecular changes in the bloodstream that can act directly on colon cancer cells, reshaping gene activity and supporting DNA damage repair,” he said.
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The results suggest that even brief activity can make a difference. “Every movement matters. Exercise doesn’t need to last hours or happen in a gym,” Orange added.
The research suggests that exercise quickly triggers changes in the blood that affect colon cancer cells and helps support DNA repair. (iStock)
One of the most surprising findings, according to the researcher, was how strong the biological response was after even a single workout.
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“Exercise altered the activity of more than 1,000 genes in colon cancer cells,” he shared.
Even brief bouts of activity can make a difference, the researcher said. (iStock)
The study findings suggest that the effect is driven by exercise-triggered molecules released into the bloodstream, sometimes referred to as “exerkines,” which act like chemical messengers and send signals throughout the body.
“Each time you exercise, you trigger biological signals that support health and resilience to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease,” Orange said.
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The researchers cautioned that the study was conducted using cancer cells grown in the laboratory, not in patients.
The findings are based on experiments using colon cancer cells grown in the lab, not studies conducted in people, the researchers noted. (iStock)
The study involved 30 healthy male and female volunteers between the ages of 50 and 78. Their blood samples were used to carry exercise-triggered signals to cancer cells grown in the lab.
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“These findings now need to be replicated in people with cancer,” Orange said. “We also need to better understand the longer-term effects of repeated exercise signals over time.”
Despite the limitations, the researcher said the findings strengthen the case for exercise as an important part of colon cancer prevention.
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“Each time you move your body and get a little breathless, you’re contributing to better health and may help influence biological processes linked to bowel cancer,” he added.
Welcome back! For Day 4 of the challenge, let’s do a short and fun activity based around a concept called cognitive reserve.
Decades of research show that people who have more years of education, more cognitively demanding jobs or more mentally stimulating hobbies all tend to have a reduced risk of cognitive impairment as they get older.
Experts think this is partly thanks to cognitive reserve: Basically, the more brain power you’ve built up over the years, the more you can stand to lose before you experience impairment. Researchers still don’t agree on how to measure cognitive reserve, but one theory is that better connections between different brain regions corresponds with more cognitive reserve.
To build up these connections, you need to stimulate your brain, said Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health and the founder and chief medical officer of the telehealth platform Isaac Health. To do that, try an activity that is “challenging enough that it requires some effort but not so challenging that you don’t want to do it anymore,” he said.
Speaking a second language has been shown to be good for cognition, as has playing a musical instrument, visiting a museum and doing handicrafts like knitting or quilting. Reading is considered a mentally stimulating hobby, and experts say you’ll get an even bigger benefit if you join a book club to make it social. Listen to a podcast to learn something new, or, better yet, attend a lecture in person at a local college or community center, said Dr. Zaldy Tan, the director of the Memory and Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai. That adds a social component, plus the extra challenge of having to navigate your way there, he said.
A few studies have found that playing board games like chess can be good for your brain; the same goes for doing crossword puzzles. It’s possible that other types of puzzles, like those you find in brain teaser books or from New York Times Games, can also offer a cognitive benefit.
But there’s a catch: To get the best brain workout, the activity should not only be challenging but also new. If you do “Wordle every day, it’s like well, then you’re very, very good at Wordle, and the Wordle part of your brain has grown to be fantastic,” said Dr. Linda Selwa, a clinical professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. “But the rest of your mind might still need work.”
So play a game you’re not used to playing, Dr. Selwa said. “The novelty seems to be what’s driving brain remodeling and growth.”
Today, we want you to push yourself out of your cognitive comfort zone. Check out an online lecture or visit a museum with your challenge partner. Or try your hand at a new game, below. Share what novel thing you did today in the comments, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 5.
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