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AI uses speech to predict Alzheimer’s

An artificial intelligence (AI) model analyzing transcripts of speech from cognitive tests predicted the progression of cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease within six years with more than 78% accuracy. The results of the study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, were published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia in January.

Scientists applied an AI speech analysis system to evaluate samples from transcripts of cognitive tests given to 166 participants diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The Boston University-led research team used an AI system to analyze the language structure of automated transcripts of voice recordings of participants’ speech during their cognitive tests.

The results showed the AI model successfully predicted, with an accuracy of 78.2%, which participants progressed from MCI to Alzheimer’s within six years.

The researchers view this as validating the potential of AI speech analysis as a convenient, inexpensive cognitive testing resource that can be used remotely to complement other tests and biomarkers.

They suggest their method is more accurate than other noninvasive tests and can help medical professionals and clinical trial managers better identify people at risk for MCI progressing to Alzheimer’s.

—National Institute on Aging

Topical hair-loss med is better swallowed

Dermatologists are increasingly prescribing a drug known generically as minoxidil in low-dose pills to help men and women maintain or regrow hair.

Several recent studies suggest the ingredient, which is also in over-the-counter topical treatments like Rogaine, works as well — or possibly better — when swallowed, rather than applied to hair follicles on the head.

Telehealth companies are also driving new demand by offering a quick, easy way to get a prescription and have the pills shipped directly to customers’ doors.

Minoxidil was originally developed in the 1970s as a pill to treat high blood pressure. Researchers noticed that some patients taking it experienced increased hair growth as a side effect.

Rogaine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1988, the first drug to win the agency’s endorsement for male pattern baldness. Studies showed that men on the medication, which was applied directly to the scalp, had a slower rate of hair loss and, in some cases, regrew hair.

The drug’s ability to slow hair loss is likely related to its effect on blood circulation, according to experts.

“By increasing blood flow to the scalp, it signals hairs to stay in their growth phase for longer,” said Dr. Adam Friedman, chair of dermatology at George Washington University.

A recent consensus paper by more than 40 U.S. and international dermatologists concluded that minoxidil pills are effective and often more convenient than the liquid formulation. It’s also affordable, with some pharmacies offering a month’s supply for less than $5.

—Matthew Perrone/AP

CT scans may increase cancer risk

As many as 5% of all new cancer diagnoses per year could be caused by computed tomography (CT) scans.

A study published last month in JAMA Internal Medicine projected that as many as 103,000 Americans could develop cancer annually due to exposure to CT scans. The medical imaging test uses ionizing radiation, which damages DNA.

CT scans have increased in the United States in the past decades. Today about 93 million are performed every year, a 35% increase since 2007.

While x-rays also deliver a radiation dose, CT scans can be 100 to 1,000 times higher than x-rays. Often the dose varies depending on the scanning facility; some CT scans can be 50 times stronger than at another clinic.

—Margaret Foster