Novel AI Enhances Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia characterised by the loss of long-term memories, possible emotional disturbances and behavioural abnormalities. It is strongly associated with advanced age, although cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s have also been observed. AD has a specific pathophysiology, or biological mechanism of progression. This condition is thought to be related to accumulations of beta-amyloid protein in various parts of the brain, particularly those associated with long-term memory storage and with their recollection. Beta-amyloid is present in the normal, healthy brain, but in the case of AD patients, the protein is not cleared away over time as it usually would be. As a result, it is allowed to build up within and around nervous-system cells, thus increasing their risks of toxicity and death over time. This build up is known as plaque formation, and is thought to be fatal to cells in the brain. This is why brain scans of AD patients show a reduction in the size of specific brain regions, which can become marked and significant over time.
