AI can tell if your brain is aging faster than you are
Researchers have developed a machine-learning model that analyzes EEG sleep signals to estimate a person's 'brain age.' The study found that individuals whose brain age appears older than their chronological age have a significantly higher risk of developing dementia.
Why it matters
This tool could provide an early, non-invasive screening method for dementia risk, allowing for earlier medical intervention.
A new machine-learning approach that examines brain activity during sleep may help identify people with an elevated risk of developing dementia. The research was led by scientists at UC San Francisco and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
The system estimates a person's "brain age" by analyzing electrical signals collected through electroencephalography, or EEG, while they sleep. Researchers found that dementia risk increased when the brain appeared older than the person's actual chronological age.
For every 10-year increase between estimated brain age and actual age, the likelihood of developing dementia rose by nearly 40%. People whose estimated brain age was younger than their actual age had a lower risk.
The findings were published in JAMA Network Open .
AI Estimates Brain Age From Sleep Signals
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