Application for assessing biological age and brain health patented by UNN researchers
UNN scientists have patented an application for assessing biological age and brain health. The online platform "Cognitive Biological Age Calculator" can assess the rate of human brain aging and identify the first signs of cognitive impairment. The accuracy of the model is comparable to that of methods based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG).
Currently, the system is being integrated into the practices of healthy longevity medicine by the Rosatom State Corporation and the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia. It is also used in preventive medicine clinics.
A patent for the invention "Method for Determining a Person's Cognitive Age Using Artificial Intelligence" has been granted to the team of scientists from the UNN Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence and the UNN Biogerontology Research Institute. The scientists’ findings have been published in npj Aging, a leading journal focused on research into aging and age-related diseases.
"Our Cognitive Clock had its initial release on Lobachevsky University’s open platform in May 2024. Now it is a fully functional system backed by strong scientific evidence and protected intellectual property rights. We have developed a user-friendly tool that enables individuals to evaluate their cognitive functions within 15 minutes and get a detailed interpretation. This marks an important step towards personalised prevention of neurodegenerative disorders," comments Mikhail Ivanchenko, the study's lead author and Director of the UNN Biogerontology Research Institute.
The developed model is based on the Cognitive-Age-V machine learning model, which incorporates data from over 1,800 participants aged between 20 and 85 years. The model integrates the results of five short tests that comprehensively assess key cognitive functions, including memory, attention, logical thinking, reaction speed, and colour perception. The tests for colour discrimination (campimetry) and cognitive control (Stroop Test) turned out to be the most crucial for determining the brain's biological age.
"Cognitive age, unlike chronological age, shows the true condition of neural processes. A decline in reaction speed, memory, and colour vision can be linked not only to natural aging but also to the onset of dementia, the effects of diabetes, depression, or sleep disorders. Our system recorded accelerated brain aging by an average of 15.4 years in patients with dementia. For those with mild cognitive impairments, this indicator was also increased by 7.6 years," Mikhail Ivanchenko explained.
Using explainable artificial intelligence technology, the SHAP algorithm demonstrates which specific functions – such as color recognition speed, attention stability, or motor response – have contributed to accelerated or delayed aging for each individual.
The system is accessible to anyone who wants to find out their cognitive age. It can be used online on the UNN website and as a mobile app for Android available on RuStore. The project was developed within the framework of the federal project "Artificial Intelligence" and received support from the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
