A Transformative Advance.
A diagnostic orchestrator.
“Most mornings I learn more from New Items than I do from all of the traditional papers I read combined.” — Michael Blair, former presiding partner, Debevoise & Plimpton.
1. Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps clinicians identify brain activity patterns linked to nine types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, using a single, widely available scan — a transformative advance in early, accurate diagnosis. The tool, StateViewer, helped researchers identify the dementia type in 88% of cases, according to research published online on June 27, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. It also enabled clinicians to interpret brain scans nearly twice as fast and with up to three times greater accuracy than standard workflows. Researchers trained and tested the AI on more than 3,600 scans, including images from patients with dementia and people without cognitive impairment. This innovation addresses a core challenge in dementia care: identifying the disease early and precisely, even when multiple conditions are present. As new treatments emerge, timely diagnosis helps match patients with the most appropriate care when it can have the greatest impact. The tool could bring advanced diagnostic support to clinics that lack neurology expertise. (Source: newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org)
2. A protein long blamed for the brain damage seen in Alzheimer's disease has now been found in astonishingly high levels in healthy newborn babies, challenging decades of medical dogma. The discovery could transform our understanding of both brain development and Alzheimer's disease itself. The protein, called p-tau217, has been viewed as a hallmark of neurodegeneration – yet a new study reveals it's even more abundant in the brains of healthy infants. Rather than being toxic, p-tau217 may be essential for building the brain during early development. (Sources: theconversation.com, academic.oup.com)
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