Using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, scientists are hoping to identify brain wave patterns associated with the risk of dementia. Imagine a sleek, portable home device that resembles a headband or cap, embedded with tiny electrodes. Placed on the head, these sensors detect subtle brain wave activity, behaving like a pulse-detecting smartwatch, a blood pressure wrist cuff or a heart rate monitor.
But this tool isn’t checking your heartbeat. Using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to analyse data in real-time, a device like this could look for signs of Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms become apparent . Such a monitor is not yet available, but AI could make it a reality.
“The readout could be as simple as a traffic light system - green for healthy activity, yellow for something to keep an eye on and red for when it’s time to consult a health care professional,” said David T. Jones, who directs the Neurology AI Programme at the Mayo Clinic. “You would be able to monitor your brain health the same way you now can monitor your heart rate and blood pressure.
We’re not there yet, but that is the future.” It could be a decade or longer before such technology is in widespread use, but the science is “moving quickly”, said Jones..