Research project allows early detection of Alzheimer's disease
A research project led by the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia of the Porto Regional Centre of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, in the field of Artificial Intelligence, may revolutionize the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, even when there are still no symptoms.
Developed in collaboration with the Hospital of São João, in Porto, the faculties of Medicine and Engineering of the Universidade do Porto and the Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, this project arises in a context in which the WHO estimates that there are 35.6 million people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the world, with the number tending to double by 2030 and triple by 2050.
The Neuro SDR technology was tested on 38 patients from the Neurology service of the Hospital de São João, in Porto. Pedro Miguel Rodrigues, researcher at the Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina of the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia (CBQF/ESB/UCP), explains "we created an algorithm that uses 19 electrodes as a source of information that capture electrical voltages that, in an adult, vary between 30 and 50 millivolts, in a time span of 30 and 45 minutes." The electrodes are in a cap that is placed on the wearer by the doctor. This cap is connected to an interface that can be accessed by computer, which captures the information and in about 5 seconds makes it visible on the screen.
Pedro Miguel Rodrigues refers that "an early diagnosis opens doors to better results in terms of therapies, but it is also a powerful aid in issues related to safeguarding the personal and financial integrity of Alzheimer's sufferers, as well as in matters related to risky professions and driving licences, for example."
This project has been under development for over six years, making it possible to overcome the difficult detection of this pathology, improve algorithms and unveil the development of the disease in first inconclusive diagnoses. "The solution created incorporates an artificial intelligence algorithm with a diagnostic accuracy capacity of around 98% for asymptomatic and/or early cases of the disease. And, therefore, we are at a stage where we need partners to get the prototype out of the lab and be made available on a large scale," concludes Pedro Miguel Rodrigues.
Some of the results of this project can be seen in "Lacsogram: A New EEG Tool to Diagnose: Alzheimer's Disease", recently published in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.