Scientists at Southwestern University in the USA have discovered that artificial intelligence can detect subtle changes in a patient’s voice in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.
The scientists focused on identifying subtle language and voice changes found in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease but not easily noticed by family members or the treating doctor.
Researchers used advanced machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) tools to evaluate the speech characteristics of 206 people. Study participants were also given several standard cognitive tests. Of these, 114 had mild cognitive impairment. In most cases, this was confirmed by the AI findings.
“Early detection will give patients and families more time to plan for the future and more flexibility to clinicians in recommending promising lifestyle interventions,” the scientists write.