Artificial intelligence is taking on a new role—predicting the future of our brain health.
Researchers are tapping into AI’s potential to spot dementia years before symptoms appear, giving doctors and patients a crucial head start.
Take sleep, for example. A team at Mass General Brigham has developed an AI tool that analyzes brainwaves while we snooze.
By tracking subtle electrical activity using EEG scans, they found telltale patterns that could predict cognitive decline with impressive accuracy—identifying 85% of those who later developed dementia.
“We can detect subtle changes years before symptoms appear,” said lead researcher Shahab Haghayegh, PhD.
Meanwhile, opticians might soon become unlikely heroes in the fight against dementia.
AI System Analyzes Early Warning Signs
A new AI system, Quartz, can analyze routine eye scans and spot early warning signs by examining tiny blood vessels in the retina.
Since these vessels mirror those in the brain, their twists, turns, and width changes offer clues about cognitive health.
Scientists at City St George’s, University of London, tested the method on over 63,000 people, finding clear links between retinal changes and declining memory and reaction speed.
Could routine eye tests or sleep studies soon double as dementia screenings? Experts say it’s likely.
And with potential treatments on the horizon, early detection could be a game-changer.
The future of brain health might just be in AI’s hands—or, rather, its algorithms.
