London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 04, 2025

Could this tech be a game-changer for Alzheimer’s diagnosis?

Could this tech be a game-changer for Alzheimer’s diagnosis?

Approximately 24 million people are affected by Alzheimer’s worldwide and that number is expected to double due to the ageing population.

Researchers in Lithuania have developed a deep learning-based method that can predict the possible onset of Alzheimer’s disease with over 99 per cent accuracy.

The method uses Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning to analyse brain images. It is faster than manual analysis, which also requires specific knowledge of the changes associated with Alzheimer’s.

Researchers from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania developed the method while analysing functional MRI images obtained from 138 subjects. They found it performed better in terms of accuracy, sensitivity and specificity than previously developed methods.

The findings of the research were published in the journal Diagnostics' on Monday.

The method could be a game-changer in how Alzheimer’s and dementia are detected as according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Alzheimer’s is the most frequent cause of dementia and contributes up to 70 per cent of dementia cases.

Technologies can make medicine more accessible and cheaper. Although they will never (or at least not soon) truly replace the medical professional,Rytis Maskeliūnas, a researcher at the Department of Multimedia Engineering at KTU.

Approximately 24 million people are affected by Alzheimer’s worldwide and that number is expected to double due to the ageing population.

One of the first signs of Alzheimer’s is mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of memory loss or other cognitive ability loss. The earliest stages often have almost no clear symptoms but can be detected by neuroimaging.

Why is early detection important?


“Medical professionals all over the world attempt to raise awareness of an early Alzheimer’s diagnosis, which provides the affected with a better chance of benefiting from treatment,” said Rytis Maskeliūnas, a researcher at the Department of Multimedia Engineering at KTU.

He said although it was not the first attempt to diagnose the early onset of Alzheimer's from similar data, the main breakthrough was the accuracy of the algorithm.

“Obviously, such high numbers are not indicators of true real-life performance, but we're working with medical institutions to get more data," he said.

"We need to make the most of data. That's why our research group focuses on the European open science principle, so anyone can use our knowledge and develop it further. I believe that this principle contributes greatly to societal advancement."

Replacing medical professionals?


The chief researcher said the algorithm could be developed into software, which could analyse data from those more prone to Alzheimer's, for example, those over the age of 65 or who have high blood pressure.

Although the technology could help medical professionals with Alzheimer’s diagnoses, Maskeliunas warned it cannot replace them.

"Technologies can make medicine more accessible and cheaper. Although they will never (or at least not soon) truly replace the medical professional, technologies can encourage seeking timely diagnosis and help," he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×