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Taiwan's BrainProbe platform uses AI to detect schizophrenia with 91% accuracy
From catching cancer to creating life, artificial intelligence (AI) is rewriting the rules of medicine, and how!
It is now being used by scientists in Taiwan to diagnose schizophrenia.
As per a report on Taipei Times, researchers at Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) have developed an artificial intelligence-powered platform capable of helping diagnose schizophrenia.
The tools, a first-of-its-kind in the world, mark a major leap forward in the world of psychiatric care, long hampered by subjectivity and guesswork.
Named BrainProbe, the tool analyzes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to detect structural and functional changes in the brain associated with schizophrenia.
With an accuracy rate of 91.7 percent, it's the world's first AI tool of its kind and a dramatic departure from traditional methods that rely heavily on clinical interviews and behavioral observation.
'The field of psychiatry has long hoped to identify objective biological markers that can help quantify the symptoms [of mental illness],' TVGH Medical AI Development Center deputy director Albert Yang was quoted as saying by Taipei Times.
Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive disruptions.
Despite decades of research, diagnoses are still mostly based on self-reported symptoms and physician interpretation, leaving room for misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
This subjective approach often overlooks subtle biological markers, making early detection difficult and preventing timely, personalized interventions that could significantly improve patient outcomes.
With that challenge in mind, Yang's team turned to artificial intelligence. Using more than a decade of brain scan data from over 1,500 individuals, including both healthy and those diagnosed with schizophrenia, the AI tool was trained to detect subtle, early-stage changes invisible to the human eye.
One such case involved a 30-year-old man experiencing auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions. 'BrainProbe was able to detect signs of degeneration in his brain function and structure, particularly in deeper regions such as the insula and temporal lobe,' Yang said.
'Abnormalities associated with schizophrenia prompted further evaluation, and the man was later confirmed to have the disease.'
More than just a diagnostic tool, BrainProbe can also track how the brain changes over time.
'The most important capability of BrainProbe is its ability to track changes in the brain as it ages,' Yang said. 'It has established a brain aging prediction index and a mechanism for monitoring pathological changes.'
The technology is currently being offered at TVGH through a self-pay clinical trial program while awaiting approval from Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration.
Yang and his team are also working with international partners to include brain scan data from other populations to incorporate information from other populations and validate the tool across ethnic groups for its wider applicability.
'We hope this platform can be applied across different ethnic groups to enable more accurate research,' Yang added.
As the platform moves toward broader clinical use, it may eventually become a foundational tool in psychiatric diagnostics that gives physicians a new lens into the human mind.
