More than 10 million Europeans show signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional stage between normal brain aging and dementia stage memory disorder. The path MCI takes can be divergent; while some maintain stability or even revert to cognitive norms, alarmingly, up to half of the cases progress to dementia within 5 years. Current diagnostic practice lacks the necessary screening tools to identify those at risk of progression. The European patient experience often involves a long journey from the initial signs of MCI to the eventual diagnosis of dementia. The trajectory is far from ideal. Here, we introduce the AI-Mind project, a pioneering initiative with an innovative approach to early risk assessment through the implementation of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) on multimodal data. The cutting-edge AI-based tools developed in the project aim not only to accelerate the diagnostic process but also to deliver highly accurate predictions regarding an individual's risk of developing dementia when prevention and intervention may still be possible. AI-Mind is a European Research and Innovation Action (RIA H2020-SC1-BHC-06-2020, No. 964220) financed between 2021 and 2026. First, the AI-Mind Connector identifies dysfunctional brain networks based on high-density magneto- and electroencephalography (M/EEG) recordings. Second, the AI-Mind Predictor predicts dementia risk using data from the Connector, enriched with computerized cognitive tests, genetic and protein biomarkers, as well as sociodemographic and clinical variables. AI-Mind is integrated within a network of major European initiatives, including The Virtual Brain, The Virtual Epileptic Patient, and EBRAINS AISBL service for sensitive data, HealthDataCloud, where big patient data are generated for advancing digital and virtual twin technology development. AI-Mind's innovation lies not only in its early prediction of dementia risk, but it also enables a virtual laboratory scenario for hypothesis-driven personalized intervention research. This article introduces the background of the AI-Mind project and its clinical study protocol, setting the stage for future scientific contributions.

中文翻译：

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用于筛查轻度认知障碍患者的大脑连接和痴呆风险评估的智能数字工具：AI-Mind 临床研究方案

超过 1000 万欧洲人表现出轻度认知障碍 (MCI) 的迹象，这是正常大脑衰老和痴呆阶段记忆障碍之间的过渡阶段。MCI 采取的路径可以是不同的；虽然有些人保持稳定，甚至恢复认知正常，但令人担忧的是，多达一半的病例在 5 年内发展为痴呆症。目前的诊断实践缺乏必要的筛查工具来识别那些有进展风险的人。欧洲患者的经历通常涉及从 MCI 的最初症状到最终诊断为痴呆的漫长过程。轨迹远非理想。在这里，我们介绍 AI-Mind 项目，这是一项开创性举措，通过在多模式数据上实施先进的人工智能 (AI)，采用创新方法进行早期风险评估。该项目中开发的基于人工智能的尖端工具不仅旨在加速诊断过程，而且在仍有可能进行预防和干预的情况下，对个人患痴呆症的风险提供高度准确的预测。AI-Mind 是一项欧洲研究和创新行动（RIA H2020-SC1-BHC-06-2020，编号 964220），资助时间为 2021 年至 2026 年。连接器根据高密度磁图和脑电图（M/EEG）记录识别功能失调的大脑网络。二、AI思维预测器使用以下数据预测痴呆症风险连接器，丰富了计算机认知测试、遗传和蛋白质生物标志物以及社会人口统计学和临床​​变量。AI-Mind 已集成到欧洲主要计划的网络中，包括虚拟大脑、虚拟癫痫患者和针对敏感数据的 EBRAINS AISBL 服务、HealthDataCloud，其中生成大患者数据以推进数字和虚拟双胞胎技术的开发。AI-Mind的创新不仅在于其对痴呆症风险的早期预测，而且还为假设驱动的个性化干预研究提供了虚拟实验室场景。本文介绍了AI-Mind项目的背景及其临床研究方案，为未来的科学贡献奠定了基础。