Mayo Clinic AI Tool Allows Rapid, Precise Identification of 9 Types of Dementia From Single Brain Scan

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an artificial intelligence–based clinical decision support system (CDSS) that could help clinicians identify patterns of brain activity associated with 9 types of dementia, including Alzheimer disease, from a single FDG-PET brain scan.1 The tool, called StateViewer, was trained and validated on more than 3,600 brain scans and in a new study achieved a sensitivity of 0.89 ± 0.03 and an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.93 ± 0.02 in distinguishing neurodegenerative phenotypes.1

In the radiologic reader study, which compared the tool’s integration into standard workflow, clinical readers using StateViewer had 3.3 ± 1.1 times greater odds of making a correct diagnosis than those using standard-of-care practices. It also enabled nearly twice the speed of interpretation. The research was published June 27, 2025, in Neurology.1

StateViewer has the potential to remedy a core challenge in dementia care: identifying the disease early and precisely, even when multiple conditions are present, the Mayo team said in a statement.2 “Every patient who walks into my clinic carries a unique story shaped by the brain’s complexity,” lead author David Jones, MD, neurologist and director of the Mayo Clinic Neurology Artificial Intelligence Program, said in the Mayo statement. The intricacy of the brain drew Jones to neuroscience in the first place, he added, and supports his deep "commitment to clearer answers. StateViewer reflects that commitment — a step toward earlier understanding, more precise treatment and, one day, changing the course of these diseases.”2

The system uses a neighbor-matching algorithm to compare an individual patient's FDG-PET scan with a large reference dataset of confirmed dementia cases. It then produces color-coded brain activity maps highlighting regions that match specific disease patterns. Among the 9 syndrome the tool is designed to detect are Alzheimer disease, Lewy body dementia, posterior cortical atrophy, and frontotemporal dementia.1

The discovery cohort consisted of 3,671 individuals (mean age 68 years, 49% women), drawn from 3 research studies and clinical patient populations. All patients had FDG-PET imaging within 2.5 years of diagnosis. The system’s classification performance was externally validated in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative dataset. While promising, the authors noted that the discovery cohort may not fully represent broader clinical populations.1

Mayo Clinic researchers plan further evaluation of StateViewer across a range of clinical environments. The tool’s use of a widely available imaging modality and its visual interpretability could help expand access to specialist-level insights in clinics that lack neurology expertise.2 Access to neurologists is extremely limited, particularly in low income and rural areas where financial, time, and travel restrictions put specialist appointments out of reach or where wait times can be extreme. The broader goal for StateViewer is to expand the technology beyond the Mayo Clinic where it could be "transformative on a global scale in the near future and expand access to these data-driven insights."3

Dr. Jones partnered with Mayo Clinic data scientist Leland Barnard, PhD to build the system. “As we were designing StateViewer, we never lost sight of the fact that behind every data point and brain scan was a person facing a difficult diagnosis and urgent questions,” he said in a statement. “Seeing how this tool could assist physicians with real-time, precise insights and guidance highlights the potential of machine learning for clinical medicine.”2

References

1. Barnard L, Botha H, Corriveau-Lecavalier N, et al. An FDG-PET-based machine learning framework to support neurologic decision making in Alzheimer disease and related disorders. Neurology. 2025;105(2). doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000213831

2. Murphy S. Mayo Clinic’s AI tool identifies 9 dementia types, including Alzheimer’s, with one scan. News release. Mayo Clinic. June 27, 2025. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinics-ai-tool-identifies-9-dementia-types-including-alzheimers-with-one-scan/

3. Lindquist SB. Mayo Clinic neurology AI program tests platform to detect brain diseases. News release. Mayo Clinic. December 17, 2024. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-neurology-ai-program-tests-platform-to-detect-brain-diseases/