Computer based classification of MR scans in first time applicant Alzheimer patients

Curr Alzheimer Res. 2012 Sep;9(7):789-94. doi: 10.2174/156720512802455359.

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to classify MR images for recognizing Alzheimer Disease (AD) in a group of patients who were recently diagnosed by clinical history and neuropsychiatric exams by using non-biased machine-learning techniques. T1 weighted MRI scans of 31 patients with probable AD and 31 age- and gender-matched cognitively normal elderly were analyzed with voxel-based morphometry and classified by support vector machine (SVM), a machine learning technique. SVM could differentiate patients from controls with accuracy of 74% (sensitivity: 70% and specificity: 77%) when the whole brain was included the analyses. The classification accuracy was increased to 79% (sensitivity: 65 % and specificity: 93%) when the analyses restricted to hippocampus. Our results showed that SVM is a promising tool for diagnosis of AD, but needed to be improved.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / diagnosis*
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology
  • Brain / pathology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Support Vector Machine*