Researchers advanced early detection of Alzheimer’s disease in a study that evaluated speech patterns in 206 participants recruited from a research program at Emory University in Atlanta.
Research published in peer-reviewed journals Alzheimer’s Associationwas led by Dr. Ihab Hajjar, Professor of Neurology at UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute in Dallas.
Alzheimer’s disease involves progressive neuropathological changes, some of which begin decades before other symptoms begin to appear. The nuances of connected audio are affected very early on. These changes are so subtle that they cannot be detected by family members or doctors.These patterns can affect sentence structure, word count, and grammatical function. Subtle changes can be detected with natural language processing (NLP). Advances in machine learning offer the opportunity to explore these changes in an unobtrusive way.
AI helps reduce tests to less than 10 minutes
Researchers achieved speech acquisition in 6-8 minutes and were able to complete the test within 10 minutes. The new test is also more reliable and can identify changes more accurately than traditional tests, as many of the changes cannot be detected by the human ear. Moreover, it is much less labor intensive than traditional methods. The speed, accuracy, and cost-saving nature of these tests make them relatively easy for primary care providers to implement.
By implementing machine learning tests in primary care, providers can give both patients and their families more time to plan and prepare for the future. This change will also benefit healthcare providers and clinicians, giving them more flexibility to recommend beneficial lifestyle changes for their patients.
However, more research is needed to confirm the accuracy and effectiveness of machine learning and NLP. The researchers also cautioned that the data collected should be treated with caution, saying, “The ease with which voice recordings can be collected without the individual’s consent is also taken into consideration, and the need to protect privacy and prevent prejudice and discrimination is important.” It should be implemented as part of this regional development.”
