New Delhi: In a significant achievement for identifying neurodegenerative diseases early, a team of US researchers has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps clinicians detect brain activity patterns linked to nine types of dementia using a single and widely available scan. The tool, StateViewer, not only helped in early detection but also provided accurate diagnosis -- it identified the dementia type in 88 per cent of cases, including Alzheimer's disease.

 It also enabled clinicians to interpret brain scans nearly twice as fast and with up to three times greater accuracy than standard workflows, according to the research, published online in the journal Neurology. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic trained and tested the AI on more than 3,600 scans, including images from patients with dementia and people without cognitive impairment.

 Currently, diagnosing dementia requires cognitive tests, blood draws, imaging, and clinical interviews, and yet, distinguishing conditions such as Alzheimer's, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia remains a challenge. "Every patient who walks into my clinic carries a unique story shaped by the brain's complexity," said David Jones, a Mayo Clinic neurologist. "StateViewer reflects that commitment -- a step toward earlier understanding, more precise treatment, and, one day, changing the course of these diseases," added Jones, director of the Mayo Clinic Neurology Artificial Intelligence Programme.

The tool analyses a fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan, which shows how the brain uses glucose for energy. It then compares the scan to a large database of scans from people with confirmed dementia diagnoses and identifies patterns that match specific types, or combinations, of dementia.

While Alzheimer's affects memory and processing regions, Lewy body dementia involves areas tied to attention and movement. Frontotemporal dementia alters regions responsible for language and behaviour. StateViewer displays these patterns through colour-coded brain maps that highlight key areas of brain activity, giving all clinicians, even those without neurology training, a visual explanation of what the AI sees and how it supports the diagnosis.

Dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases each year. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form, is now the fifth-leading cause of death globally.

(IANS)