Machine Learning methods for predicting conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. A systematic review.

Abstract

Increase in life-span in our society is a double-edged sword that entails a growing number of patients with neurocognitive disorders, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) being the most prevalent. Advances in medical imaging and computational power, enable new methods for early detection of neurocognitive disorders with the goal of preventing or reducing cognitive decline. Computer-aided image analysis and early detection of changes in cognition is a promising approach for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), sometimes a prodromal stage of AD. We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines of studies where Machine Learning was applied to neuroimaging data in order to predict the progression from MCI to AD. After removing duplicates, we screened 159 studies and selected 47 for a qualitative analysis. Most studies used MRI and PET data but also MEG. The datasets were mainly extracted from the ADNI database with some exceptions. Regarding the algorithms used, the most common were support vector machines, but more complex models such as Deep Learning, combined with multimodal and multidimensional data (neuroimage, clinical, cognitive, biological, and behavioral) achieved the best performance. Although performance of the different models still have room for improvement, the results are promising and this methodology has a great potential as a support tool for clinicians and healthcare professionals.