Scientists suggest that a 10-minute brain scan could detect dementia several years before its noticeable onset. They achieved an estimated 80 per cent accuracy up to nine years before a person actually knew they suffer from dementia.

<h2>Fighting Dementia: What does it mean?</h2>

It simply means that if the findings are confirmed in a larger cohort, the scan could become a routine procedure in dementia treatment.

"We have known for a long time that the function of the brain starts to change many years before you get dementia symptoms," professor Charles Marshall, who led the work at Queen Mary University of London, was quoted as saying by the Guardian.&nbsp;

"This could help us to be more precise at identifying those changes using an MRI scan that you could do on any NHS scanner."

The study was published in Nature Mental Health.&nbsp;

"Predicting who is going to get dementia in the future will be vital for developing treatments that can prevent the irreversible loss of brain cells that causes the symptoms of dementia," Marshall said.

<h2>What did scientists do to predict dementia?</h2>

Scientists used functional MRI scans from 1,100 UK Biobank volunteers to detect changes in the brain's "default mode network" (DMN).&nbsp;

The network reflects how effectively different regions are communicating with each other that are particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/youth-and-midlife-stressors-linked-to-increased-dementia-risk-in-later-life-study-finds-721492">Youth and midlife stress events linked to increased dementia risk in later life, study finds</a>

Of the volunteers, 81 went on to develop dementia after the UK Biobank scan.

The researchers then deployed Artificial Intelligence to identify changes to the DMN that were most characteristic of those at risk.&nbsp;

The resultant model could identify those at risk with 80 per cent accuracy up to nine years before diagnosis.

Also watch |&nbsp;9 million Indians suffer from Dementia

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/9-million-indians-suffer-from-dementia-563986/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Scientists said that a simple brain scan, that would take about 10 minutes, could be used alongside recently developed blood tests that target proteins in the brain that cause Alzheimer’s disease.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists suggest that a 10-minute brain scan could detect dementia several years before its noticeable onset. They achieved an estimated 80 per cent accuracy up to nine years before a person actually knew they suffer from dementia.

Scientists suggest that a 10-minute brain scan could detect dementia several years before its noticeable onset. They achieved an estimated 80 per cent accuracy up to nine years before a person actually knew they suffer from dementia. Fighting Dementia: What does it mean? It simply means that if the findings are confirmed in a larger cohort, the scan could become a routine procedure in dementia treatment. "We have known for a long time that the function of the brain starts to change many years before you get dementia symptoms," professor Charles Marshall, who led the work at Queen Mary University of London, was quoted as saying by the Guardian. "This could help us to be more precise at identifying those changes using an MRI scan that you could do on any NHS scanner." The study was published in Nature Mental Health. "Predicting who is going to get dementia in the future will be vital for developing treatments that can prevent the irreversible loss of brain cells that causes the symptoms of dementia," Marshall said. What did scientists do to predict dementia? Scientists used functional MRI scans from 1,100 UK Biobank volunteers to detect changes in the brain's "default mode network" (DMN). The network reflects how effectively different regions are communicating with each other that are particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. Also read | Youth and midlife stress events linked to increased dementia risk in later life, study finds Of the volunteers, 81 went on to develop dementia after the UK Biobank scan. The researchers then deployed Artificial Intelligence to identify changes to the DMN that were most characteristic of those at risk. The resultant model could identify those at risk with 80 per cent accuracy up to nine years before diagnosis. Also watch | 9 million Indians suffer from Dementia × Scientists said that a simple brain scan, that would take about 10 minutes, could be used alongside recently developed blood tests that target proteins in the brain that cause Alzheimer’s disease. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists show ten-minute brain scan can predict dementia early

France's Atomic Energy Commission has recently unveiled the world's most powerful MRI scanner.&nbsp;Developed by a team of researchers, this scanner promises precision in probing the human brain and its various afflictions.&nbsp;

Situated in the vicinity of Paris, this scanner has already welcomed approximately 20 healthy volunteers for imaging studies. What sets this scanner apart is its impressive 11.7 tesla magnetic field, surpassing traditional hospital MRI machines by a significant margin.

Alexandre Vignaud, a physicist involved in the project, expressed astonishment at the unmatched&nbsp;level of clarity captured by the scanner, which has been&nbsp;named Iseult.

Encased within a five-metre cylinder, the scanner houses a 132-tonne magnet powered by a 1,500-amp coil, putting on display&nbsp;the culmination of two decades of collaboration between French and German engineers. It&nbsp;features a three-foot opening for subjects, facilitating ease of access while maintaining optimal imaging conditions.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-develop-worlds-first-3d-printed-brain-tissue-that-functions-like-human-brain-686891">Also read |&nbsp;Scientists develop world’s first 3D-printed brain tissue that functions like human brain</a>

<h2>More features</h2>

Beyond its&nbsp;imaging capabilities, the scanner holds potential for advancing our understanding and treatment of neurological disorders.

Researchers are hoping&nbsp;to unravel the intricate mechanisms underlying conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression, and schizophrenia. Insights gleaned from the scanner could provide&nbsp;information about brain structure and function.

Also watch |&nbsp;Brain size steadily increased for people born after 1930s

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/brain-size-steadily-increased-for-people-born-after-1930s-704918/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Moreover, the scanner's high resolution may offer new insights into drug distribution within the brain. For example, studying the distribution of lithium, a commonly used medication for bipolar disorder, could lead to more personalised treatment strategies and improved patient outcomes.

While immediate clinical applications of the scanner remain on the horizon, its impact holds promise for future advancements in healthcare.

(With inputs from agencies)

France's Atomic Energy Commission has recently unveiled the world's most powerful MRI scanner. Developed by a team of researchers, this scanner promises precision in probing the human brain and its various afflictions.

France's Atomic Energy Commission has recently unveiled the world's most powerful MRI scanner. Developed by a team of researchers, this scanner promises precision in probing the human brain and its various afflictions. Situated in the vicinity of Paris, this scanner has already welcomed approximately 20 healthy volunteers for imaging studies. What sets this scanner apart is its impressive 11.7 tesla magnetic field, surpassing traditional hospital MRI machines by a significant margin. Alexandre Vignaud, a physicist involved in the project, expressed astonishment at the unmatched level of clarity captured by the scanner, which has been named Iseult. Encased within a five-metre cylinder, the scanner houses a 132-tonne magnet powered by a 1,500-amp coil, putting on display the culmination of two decades of collaboration between French and German engineers. It features a three-foot opening for subjects, facilitating ease of access while maintaining optimal imaging conditions. Also read | Scientists develop world’s first 3D-printed brain tissue that functions like human brain More features Beyond its imaging capabilities, the scanner holds potential for advancing our understanding and treatment of neurological disorders. Researchers are hoping to unravel the intricate mechanisms underlying conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression, and schizophrenia. Insights gleaned from the scanner could provide information about brain structure and function. Also watch | Brain size steadily increased for people born after 1930s Moreover, the scanner's high resolution may offer new insights into drug distribution within the brain. For example, studying the distribution of lithium, a commonly used medication for bipolar disorder, could lead to more personalised treatment strategies and improved patient outcomes. While immediate clinical applications of the scanner remain on the horizon, its impact holds promise for future advancements in healthcare. (With inputs from agencies)

World’s most powerful MRI scans human brain for the first time, provides unmatched clarity

People who are lonely don’t quite see the world the same way as those who aren't lonely, suggests a US study, published in Psychological Science.

When it comes to processing information, people who are not lonely are all alike, but every lonely person processes the world in their own idiosyncratic way, it said.

<h2>How was the research conducted?</h2>

The University of California research conducted neuroimaging tests on 66 young adults in their first-year college aged between 18 and 21. The students were also asked to complete the UCLA Loneliness Scale which is a self-report to measure their feelings of loneliness and social isolation.&nbsp;

Based on the results, the young adults were divided into two groups – lonely and “nonlonely” (people who do not experience loneliness). Subsequently, the students were made to watch 14 video clips while researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to view brain activity.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/report-feeling-unhappy-lonely-can-accelerate-aging-faster-than-smoking-diseases-520622">Report: Feeling unhappy, lonely can accelerate aging faster than smoking, diseases</a>

The content was said to have been engaging enough so that participants’ minds wandering during the task would not affect the data collected. The topic of the videos ranged from sentimental music videos to party scenes and sporting events, providing a range of scenarios for analysis.&nbsp;

Psychologist Elisa Baek, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California, and her team analysed 214 different regions of the brain and how they responded over time to stimuli in the videos.&nbsp;

They also compared activity between individuals in each brain region to understand how similar or different their responses were.&nbsp;

<h2>What did the study find?</h2>

The researchers found significant differences in the way that lonely people’s brains work&nbsp;and process&nbsp;information when compared to their nonlonely peers. Additionally, the researchers not only discovered differences between the two groups but also found that significant differences existed between individual loners.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/alexa-siri-are-helping-users-battle-loneliness-making-disabled-people-more-independent-survey-542969">Alexa, Siri are helping users battle loneliness, making disabled people more independent: Survey</a>

The researchers tested if there were&nbsp;associations between loneliness and neural responses to naturalistic stimuli and if they follow&nbsp;what the paper&nbsp;referred to as the “Anna Karenina principle.” It was inspired by the opening line of Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy’s novel, Anna Karenina “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”&nbsp;

“It was surprising to find that lonely people were even less similar to each other,” said Baek, in a statement. She added, “The ‘Anna Karenina principle’ is a fitting description of lonely people, as they experience loneliness in an idiosyncratic way, not in a universally relatable way.”&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/this-ai-tool-can-help-doctors-treat-brain-tumours-quickly-and-accurately-study-finds-613368">This AI tool can help doctors treat brain tumours quickly and accurately, study finds</a>

While nonlonely people were more or less similar, neurologically, individuals with high levels of loneliness regardless of how many friends they had were more likely to have unique brain responses, the study found.&nbsp;

The researchers also noted that being surrounded by people who see the world differently from us might also be a risk factor for loneliness despite daily social interactions with other people.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

People who are lonely don’t quite see the world the same way as those who aren't lonely, suggests a US study, published in Psychological Science. When it comes to processing information, people who are not lonely are all alike, but every lonely person processes the world in their own idiosyncratic way, it said.

People who are lonely don’t quite see the world the same way as those who aren't lonely, suggests a US study, published in Psychological Science. When it comes to processing information, people who are not lonely are all alike, but every lonely person processes the world in their own idiosyncratic way, it said. How was the research conducted? The University of California research conducted neuroimaging tests on 66 young adults in their first-year college aged between 18 and 21. The students were also asked to complete the UCLA Loneliness Scale which is a self-report to measure their feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Based on the results, the young adults were divided into two groups – lonely and “nonlonely” (people who do not experience loneliness). Subsequently, the students were made to watch 14 video clips while researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to view brain activity. ALSO READ | Report: Feeling unhappy, lonely can accelerate aging faster than smoking, diseases The content was said to have been engaging enough so that participants’ minds wandering during the task would not affect the data collected. The topic of the videos ranged from sentimental music videos to party scenes and sporting events, providing a range of scenarios for analysis. Psychologist Elisa Baek, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California, and her team analysed 214 different regions of the brain and how they responded over time to stimuli in the videos. They also compared activity between individuals in each brain region to understand how similar or different their responses were. What did the study find? The researchers found significant differences in the way that lonely people’s brains work and process information when compared to their nonlonely peers. Additionally, the researchers not only discovered differences between the two groups but also found that significant differences existed between individual loners. ALSO READ | Alexa, Siri are helping users battle loneliness, making disabled people more independent: Survey The researchers tested if there were associations between loneliness and neural responses to naturalistic stimuli and if they follow what the paper referred to as the “Anna Karenina principle.” It was inspired by the opening line of Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy’s novel, Anna Karenina “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” “It was surprising to find that lonely people were even less similar to each other,” said Baek, in a statement. She added, “The ‘Anna Karenina principle’ is a fitting description of lonely people, as they experience loneliness in an idiosyncratic way, not in a universally relatable way.” ALSO READ | This AI tool can help doctors treat brain tumours quickly and accurately, study finds While nonlonely people were more or less similar, neurologically, individuals with high levels of loneliness regardless of how many friends they had were more likely to have unique brain responses, the study found. The researchers also noted that being surrounded by people who see the world differently from us might also be a risk factor for loneliness despite daily social interactions with other people. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Study shows lonely people’s brains process information and see the world differently

Is mind reading possible? An age-old question with multiple unproven answers. Those who study psychology often claim that they can understand what the other person is saying as they study mental processes, brain functions, and behaviour, but even they can't be 100 per cent accurate.&nbsp;

A study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, attempts to address it as scientists have said that they have come up with a way to decode a stream of words in the brain using MRI scans and artificial intelligence.&nbsp;

The study titled — "Semantic reconstruction of continuous language from non-invasive brain recordings" — noted that the system won't replicate each word but it reconstructs the brief of what a person hears or imagines.&nbsp;

Alexander Huth, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of neuroscience and computer science at The University of Texas at Austin, said: "It's getting at the ideas behind the words, the semantics, the meaning."&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/study-finds-patients-in-coma-had-conscious-like-brain-activity-before-death-588102">Study finds patients in coma had 'conscious-like' brain activity before death</a>&nbsp;

Of course, the system won't be able to read minds as it only works when a participant is actively cooperating with scientists.&nbsp;

In the study, published on May 1, it was mentioned that a system of a non-invasive decoder, which&nbsp;reconstructs continuous language from cortical semantic representations recorded using functional MRI, has been introduced.&nbsp;

"Given novel brain recordings, this decoder generates intelligible word sequences that recover the meaning of perceived speech, imagined speech and even silent videos, demonstrating that a single decoder can be applied to a range of tasks," part of the study mentioned.&nbsp;

The authors have also stated that they have tested the decoder across the cortex and found that continuous language can be separately decoded from multiple regions.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/fur-of-costa-rican-sloths-may-harbour-antibiotic-producing-bacteria-study-587831">Fur of Costa Rican sloths may harbour antibiotic-producing bacteria: Study</a>

They added that we tested whether successful decoding requires subject cooperation and found that subject cooperation is required both to train and to apply the decoder — as brain–computer interfaces should respect mental privacy.&nbsp;

They said, "Our findings demonstrate the viability of non-invasive language brain–computer interfaces."&nbsp;

To derive the result, the researchers trained decoders for three subjects. They evaluated each subject’s decoder on separate, single-trial brain responses that were recorded while the subject listened to novel test stories that were not used for model training.&nbsp;

The researchers said that as their decoder represents language using semantic features rather than motor or auditory features, its predictions should capture the meaning of the stimuli.&nbsp;

"Results show that the decoded word sequences captured not only the meaning of the stimuli but often even exact words and phrases, demonstrating that fine-grained semantic information can be recovered," the study mentioned.&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Is mind reading possible? An age-old question with multiple unproven answers. Those who study psychology often claim that they can understand what the other person is saying as they study mental processes, brain functions, and behaviour, but even they can't be 100 per cent accurate.

Is mind reading possible? An age-old question with multiple unproven answers. Those who study psychology often claim that they can understand what the other person is saying as they study mental processes, brain functions, and behaviour, but even they can't be 100 per cent accurate. A study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, attempts to address it as scientists have said that they have come up with a way to decode a stream of words in the brain using MRI scans and artificial intelligence. The study titled — "Semantic reconstruction of continuous language from non-invasive brain recordings" — noted that the system won't replicate each word but it reconstructs the brief of what a person hears or imagines. Alexander Huth, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of neuroscience and computer science at The University of Texas at Austin, said: "It's getting at the ideas behind the words, the semantics, the meaning." ALSO READ | Study finds patients in coma had 'conscious-like' brain activity before death Of course, the system won't be able to read minds as it only works when a participant is actively cooperating with scientists. In the study, published on May 1, it was mentioned that a system of a non-invasive decoder, which reconstructs continuous language from cortical semantic representations recorded using functional MRI, has been introduced. "Given novel brain recordings, this decoder generates intelligible word sequences that recover the meaning of perceived speech, imagined speech and even silent videos, demonstrating that a single decoder can be applied to a range of tasks," part of the study mentioned. The authors have also stated that they have tested the decoder across the cortex and found that continuous language can be separately decoded from multiple regions. ALSO READ | Fur of Costa Rican sloths may harbour antibiotic-producing bacteria: Study They added that we tested whether successful decoding requires subject cooperation and found that subject cooperation is required both to train and to apply the decoder — as brain–computer interfaces should respect mental privacy. They said, "Our findings demonstrate the viability of non-invasive language brain–computer interfaces." To derive the result, the researchers trained decoders for three subjects. They evaluated each subject’s decoder on separate, single-trial brain responses that were recorded while the subject listened to novel test stories that were not used for model training. The researchers said that as their decoder represents language using semantic features rather than motor or auditory features, its predictions should capture the meaning of the stimuli. "Results show that the decoded word sequences captured not only the meaning of the stimuli but often even exact words and phrases, demonstrating that fine-grained semantic information can be recovered," the study mentioned. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

MRI scans and AI to decode what we think? This study has answers

brain-scan

Brain Scan, News on Brain Scan, stories on Brain Scan, articles on Brain Scan, Brain Scan stories at Wion, Brain Scan news, Brain Scan latest news