NEW DELHI: In a bid to overcome language limitations posed by Alzheimer's disease, a team of Chinese researchers developed a new voice-based approach to enable early detection of the neurodegenerative disease.
The team led by Prof. Li Hai and his team at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences noted that with ageing global population, Alzheimer's is becoming increasingly prevalent. This makes early detection critical for improving patient outcomes.
“Language decline is often one of the earliest indicators of cognitive decline,” the experts noted in the paper published in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.
Currently, available automated speech analysis offers a non-invasive and cost-effective approach to detecting Alzheimer's. However, these methods face significant challenges, including complexity, poor interpretability, and limited integration of diverse data types, which hinder accuracy and clinical applicability.
To overcome these limitations, Hai's team developed the DEMENTIA framework.
“This innovative approach integrates speech, text, and expert knowledge using a hybrid attention mechanism, significantly enhancing both the accuracy and clinical interpretability of Alzheimer's disease detection,” the researchers said.
The framework leverages advanced large language model technologies. It also captures intricate intra- and inter-modal interactions, improving detection accuracy and enabling the prediction of cognitive function scores.
Further, the model also scores in comprehensive interpretability analyses, demonstrating its robust clinical decision-support capabilities and adaptability across diverse datasets.
“The findings underscore the potential of speech-based tools for early Alzheimer's disease screening and monitoring cognitive decline,” the team said.
Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It is the most common form of dementia and constitutes around 75 per cent of all dementia cases.
Of the about 55 million people worldwide with dementia, 60 to 70 per cent are estimated to have Alzheimer's.