Identification of Alzheimer's Disease by Imaging: A Comprehensive Review

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 10;20(2):1273. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021273.

Abstract

In developing countries, there is more concern for Alzheimer's disease (AD) by public health professionals due to its catastrophic effects on the elderly. Early detection of this disease helps in starting the therapy soon and slows down the progression of the disease. Imaging techniques are considered to be the best solutions for its detection. Brain imaging was initially used to diagnose AD. Different techniques for identifying protein accumulation in the nervous system, a sign of Alzheimer's disease, are identified by MRI imaging. Although they were initially attributed to cortical dysfunction, visual system impairments in Alzheimer's patients were also found in the early 1970s. Several non-invasive approaches reported for screening, prevention, and therapy were unsuccessful. It is vitally necessary to develop new diagnostic methods in order to accurately identify patients who are in the early stages of this disease. It would be wonderful to have a quick, non-invasive, affordable, and easily scalable Alzheimer's disease screening. Researchers may be able to identify biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and understand more about its aetiology with imaging and data processing. This study clarifies the need for medical image processing and analysis strategies which aid in the non-invasive diagnosis of AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; image reconstruction; image registration; image segmentation; medical imaging; non-invasive method.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Alzheimer Disease* / diagnosis
  • Brain
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods

Grants and funding

The authors wish to thank VIT management for providing sufficient funds towards the publication of the work.