Tomasz M. Rutkowski (RIKEN-AIP)

Title: “AI for Social Good - Dementia EEG Neurobiomarker Elucidation with Network Analysis of Time Series and Subsequent Machine Learning Model Application”
Abstract: Modern neurotechnology research employing state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) algorithms within the so-called `AI for social good’ domain contributes to the well-being improvement of individuals with a disability. Using digital health technologies, home-based self-diagnostics, or cognitive decline managing approaches with neurobiomarker feedback enables the elderly to remain independent and improve their daily life. We report research results related to early onset dementia neuro-biomarkers to scrutinize cognitive-behavioral intervention management and digital non-pharmacological therapies. The EEG responses are analyzed in a framework of network neuroscience and topological data analysis (TDA) techniques applied to EEG time series for evaluation and to confirm the initial hypothesis of possible ML application modeling mild cognitive impairment prediction. The proposed experimental tasks in the current pilot study showcase the critical utilization of artificial intelligence for early-onset dementia prognosis in the elderly. We report the best median accuracies well above 90\% for linear SVM and deep fully connected neural network classifier models in leave-one-out-subject cross-validation, which presents very encouraging results in a binary healthy cognitive aging versus MCI stages using TDA features applied to brainwave time series patterns captured from a four-channel EEG wearable.
Bio: Tomasz M. Rutkowski received his M.Sc. in Electronics and Ph.D. in Telecommunications and Acoustics from Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland, in 1994 and 2002, respectively. He received postdoctoral training at the Multimedia Laboratory, Kyoto University, and from 2005-2011 he worked as a research scientist at RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan. From 2011-2016 Tomasz served as an assistant professor at the University of Tsukuba and a visiting scientist at RIKEN Brain Science Institute. He served as a visiting lecturer at The University of Tokyo and was also a member of an AI startup in Tokyo. He is a research scientist at the RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP) and a research fellow at The University of Tokyo and Nicolaus Copernicus University. Tomasz’s research interests include computational neuroscience, especially brain-computer interfacing (BCI), computational modeling of evoked brain processes and awareness, and AI applications for dementia biomarkers elucidation. He received The BCI Annual Research Award 2014 for the project “Airborne Ultrasonic Tactile BCI” and a nomination for the award in 2016. He also promotes diversity in research by serving as a jury for Maria Sklodowska-Curie Prize for Young Female Scientists in Japan. More information is available at tomek.bci-lab.info/