Drexel University

What is this AI detection tool:

The researchers at Drexel University are currently working on a game-changing brand new AI tool led by John Kounios, professor in Drexel’s Creativity Research Lab. These researchers are developing an artificial intelligence tool that will estimate a brain’s age. This information is crucial because in turn premature brain aging can be detected early on, allowing medical professionals to catch many age related illnesses and diseases in a patient.

How are Kounios and his team creating this tool:

John Kounios and his team are training this AI with a method known as machine learning, during which the AI is fed many MRIs of healthy brains so it will learn what to flag and what is normal. 

Instead of conducting an MRI which is both time consuming and expensive, the AI will conduct an EGG or electroencephalography or a recording of a person’s brain waves.

What are the researchers looking for:

Researchers know if a brain is prematurely aging if the brain’s approximate age is higher than ones of individuals of a similar age. Kounios says however that if a person’s brain age is about or lower than the average brain age for a person that age then that person is healthy.

Benefits this AI detection tool over MRIs:

An EGG is more effective than an MRI because it is much cheaper and second is a much simpler procedure only needing one to wear a headset for a few minutes. This AI tool will allow multiple people to be checked rapidly and can be tested more often. This tool can save thousands of lives, being able to target these life threatening illnesses before they become too big of a problem.

Importance of this AI detection tool:

Ultimately, John Kounios and his team’s efforts are crucial in saving many people’s lives because with this new technique doctors can find illnesses early on and be able to treat them. Additionally by tracking the data from patients medical professional can try to find patterns or statistics in that specific disease further helping combat brain age related illnesses.

By: Aarush Vajha