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. 2023 Jan;33(1):5-18.
doi: 10.1111/jon.13063. Epub 2022 Oct 18.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging, deep learning, and Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review

Samuel L Warren  1 , Ahmed A Moustafa  1   2
Affiliations

Functional magnetic resonance imaging, deep learning, and Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review

Samuel L Warren et al. J Neuroimaging. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently diagnosed using a mixture of psychological tests and clinical observations. However, these diagnoses are not perfect, and additional diagnostic tools (e.g., MRI) can help improve our understanding of AD as well as our ability to detect the disease. Accordingly, a large amount of research has been invested into innovative diagnostic methods for AD. Functional MRI (fMRI) is a form of neuroimaging technology that has been used to diagnose AD; however, fMRI is incredibly noisy, complex, and thus lacks clinical use. Nonetheless, recent innovations in deep learning technology could enable the simplified and streamlined analysis of fMRI. Deep learning is a form of artificial intelligence that uses computer algorithms based on human neural networks to solve complex problems. For example, in fMRI research, deep learning models can automatically denoise images and classify AD by detecting patterns in participants' brain scans. In this systematic review, we investigate how fMRI (specifically resting-state fMRI) and deep learning methods are used to diagnose AD. In turn, we outline the common deep neural network, preprocessing, and classification methods used in the literature. We also discuss the accuracy, strengths, limitations, and future direction of fMRI deep learning methods. In turn, we aim to summarize the current field for new researchers, suggest specific areas for future research, and highlight the potential of fMRI to aid AD diagnoses.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease (AD); computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD); deep learning; deep neural networks (DNN); functional connectivity; functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The study selection process for our systematic review using the PRISMA flowchart. n = participant count. Use of this flowchart is recommended by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) to meet their guidelines for conducting systematic reviews.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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