Utility of machine learning algorithms in classification of progressive cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease: A retrospective cohort based on China.

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD
Published Date:

Abstract

BackgroundDistinct risk factors influence Alzheimer's disease (AD) stage stratification, yet effective tools for early diagnosis and prognosis remain limited, especially in middle-aged populations.ObjectiveTo develop machine learning models for predicting cognitive decline and identifying early markers of stage stratification in a middle-aged Chinese cohort.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study on 451 patients from 2017 to 2021 (aged 45-90 years, 47.7% male). All participants were classified into normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), AD. Neuropsychological scale, epidemiological and laboratory parameters were collected. Four machine learning algorithms, the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), were employed with 10-fold cross-validation. Model performance was measured using area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC-AUC) and area under precision and recall curves (PR-AUC), classification confusion matrices, sensitivity, accuracy, precision, recall, F1 Score.ResultsModels demonstrated high ROC-AUC and satisfactory PR-AUC, with LASSO and SVM excelling in the MCI group (recall: 85.3% and 93.1%; F1 score: 78.4% and 78.3%, respectively). Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores differed significantly across stages, except for advanced-stage items such as naming, language repetition, and language understanding.ConclusionsThese multi-dimensional machine learning models show promise as effective tools for predicting AD stage stratification, enabling targeted monitoring and early intervention for at-risk patients.

Authors

  • Feilan Chen
    Department of Neurology, LiuZhou Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital, LiuZhou, Guangxi, China.
  • Hainan Deng
    Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China.
  • Qingyu Zhang
    College of Management, Research Institute of Business Analytics & Supply Chain Management, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. q.yu.zhang@gmail.com.
  • Yanmei Liu
    Chinese Evidence-based Medicine Center, Cochrane China Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
  • Yujie Zhang
    Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China. zhyj227@126.com.
  • Yan Zhang
    Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, 110032, China.
  • Dan Li
    State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
  • Xinling Meng
    Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China.

Keywords

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