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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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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