A new model for mapping the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain has been proposed by scientists at the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research, education and clinical practice in the United States.
The method was created from the analysis of brain images through the use of artificial intelligence, so that it is able to cover the entire functioning of the brain, instead of specific regions or networks, and thus explain the relationship between the anatomy of that organ and mental processing.
“It allows us to better understand how the brain works and breaks down during old age and Alzheimer’s disease, thus providing new ways to control, prevent and treat disorders of the mind,” said neurologist David T. Jones, lead author of the study. study published in the journal Nature Communications.
Until now, Alzheimer’s has been described as a problem with the processing of some proteins that are deposited in certain areas of the brain and cause neuronal failure that leads to symptoms such as memory loss, communication difficulties and confusion. Despite this, the relationship between symptomatology, patterns of brain damage and the anatomy of the organ has not yet been identified.
Another difficulty in studying brain-related problems lies in the fact that a patient may suffer from more than one neurodegenerative disease, which makes diagnosis difficult, so having a complete map of brain behavior could provide a new perspective for doctors when giving an opinion.
The new model was created from brain glucose levels from a fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan performed on 423 study participants with cognitive impairment. This image shows how glucose activates certain parts of the brain, depending on each condition. Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Lewy body and frontotemporal dementias, for example, use glucose in different patterns.
“This new computational model with more validation and support can redirect the scientific effort in the study of the mind and dementia to focus on the dynamics of complex biological systems, instead of concentrating it mainly on misfolded proteins”, explained the neurologist from the Mayo Clinic.
The model proposed by Jones and his team makes it possible to identify the brain anatomy involved in dementia symptoms, within a color-coded conceptual framework that shows the brain areas related to neurodegenerative disorders and mental functions. This ability to predict physiological changes in the brain was tested in 410 people. Data on normal aging and dementia syndromes affecting memory, executive functions, language, behavior, movement, perception, semantic knowledge, and visuospatial abilities were also obtained.
Among their findings, the researchers found that there are 10 patterns that can explain 51 percent of the variations in glucose consumption within the brains of dementia patients. Each person has their own combination of these models, and this mixture would be related to the symptoms that they present.
The Artificial Intelligence Program in the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic, led by Jones, uses these 10 guidelines to work with artificial intelligence systems that facilitate the interpretation of brain scans for Alzheimer’s disease and other related syndromes.
“If the mental functions relevant to Alzheimer’s disease are carried out in a distributed manner throughout the brain, a new model of the disease such as the one we propose is needed. We believe that this model may influence diagnosis, treatment and fundamental understanding of neurodegeneration and mental function in general,” said Jones.
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