Q: What does it mean to use Artificial Intelligence in the treatment of Cerebral Palsy and what kind of Artificial Intelligence you use in the AINCP project? 

A: The most innovative aspect of the project lies in the unified analysis of data from different sources (multidimensionality of data), each of which with a proven correlation and relevance to the disorder, but rarely considered together. We therefore range from data relating to fMRI to monitoring the activities of the observed subjects using wearable sensors and other devices.

The AInCP project deals with Cerebral Palsy in children, and intends to address its monitoring and treatment through these kind of tecniques, Artificial Intelligence techniques, in support of existing therapeutic and diagnostic tools.

This unprecedented and complete framework of data available for each patient will provide information that can be used by advanced AI-based data analysis techniques in order to support both the diagnostic and the rehabilitation part in the treatment of cerebral palsy.

Q: What is the most innovative tecnological aspect about the AINCP project?

The scientific literature is rich on the effectiveness of each single aspect, but the multilateral approach adopted by the AINCP project constitutes a new field of research, in which approaches based on AI and Machine Learning in particular promise an "unbiased" and innovative analysis of information that will be collected from a group of selected patients adhering to the initiative. Around 200 boys and girls from Italy, Spain and Belgium will participate in the clinical trials. 

Giuseppe Prencipe is Associate professor at University of Pisa and is in charge of leading the technological framework of the AINCP project.