MRI scans of the brain sometimes show small white spots, which often indicate a patient’s memory and emotional problems. This is especially evident in the case of elderly patients.

In addition, the increase in spots is associated with signs of dementia and other conditions harmful to the brain, such as depression. According to research, a new device that analyzes white spots found on MRI images can detect early signs of dementia with more than 70% accuracy.

The detection of white matter damage in the brain depends largely on the eyes of a specialist. The purpose of creating a new method is to objectively assess these injuries.

As part of the study, a NYU research team collected 72 MRI scans that were analyzed using a special computer program. The program calculated the exact location and extent of the lesions, on the basis of which the researchers made a diagnosis of the patients. It was found that in 7 out of 10 cases, the diagnosis made with the help of the program coincided with the diagnosis of patient dementia. This is an impressive result for new technology.

It should also be noted that the measurement of white matter lesions is not sufficient for the diagnosis of early dementia. Other factors also need to be considered.

Researchers plan to test the new “device” on an additional 1,495 patients. Until then, the program is Open Source and you can write it too.