Improving alzheimer's diagnosis with a map of the brain
What is it about?
We present a new open source software (OS) package called Spherical Brain Mapping (SBM), which can be used to extract relevant information from three-dimensional medical images. This information summarizes the texture of the brain from the inside out using magnetic resonance imaging, and can be displayed as if it were a map. The use of SBM helped us predict the onset of Alzheimer's Disease with high acuracy.
Why is it important?
Alzheimer's Disease affects 46 million people around the globe. It is the main cause of dementia, but its diagnosis still remains a challenge. An early diagnosis is crucial for alleviating its symptoms and provide a better quality of life for patients and their closer environment. SBM could be used in clinical practice to automatically create alerts of possible Alzheimer, providing relevant information for the diagnosis procedure.