Ponente
Descripción
The brain is the center of the nervous system and the most complex organ of the human body, capable of making thousands of connections and controlling fundamental functions of all the different systems of the body. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is one of the main references that brings together the definition and classification of different mental disorders that affect the brain and consequently the course of life of those affected. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the mental disorders whose symptoms include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and considerable inattention that impact various aspects of an individual's life. Although specific causes of the disorder have not been identified, there is evidence of anatomical and functional differences in the brains of people with ADHD compared to those without the disorder (American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Publishing, 2022). The goals of this scientific research were to analyze how different structural changes in the brain can contribute to the manifestation of ADHD; to investigate existing correlations between the structural and functional changes in the brain identified through neuroimaging techniques; and, finally, to understand how both changes relate to the variability and intensity of the mentioned symptoms. For this, a Fuzzy Rule-Based System (FRBS) was built with input variables White Matter, Cerebral Cortex, Caudate Nucleus, and Total Brain Volume, all of them characterized with the linguistic terms appropriate, partially appropriate, and slightly appropriate. The output variable considered was the Structural Index, classified into significant variation, moderate variation, and low variation. The inference method used was Mamdani's, and defuzzification was carried out using the Center of Gravity method. Simulations of clinical scenarios of hypothetical patients were implemented in MatLab software, and the results achieved show that the fuzzy model is capable of providing information about structural aspects of the brain. For example, for an individual with partially adequate white matter, slightly adequate cerebral cortex, partially adequate caudate nucleus, and adequate total brain volume, the SBRF showed a 65% probability that the structural index is significant for ADHD. The next steps of the research include the development of an additional model to analyze certain functional characteristics. In this way, it will be possible to combine both models to identify the possibility of ADHD manifestation. It should be emphasized that mathematics and fuzzy logic are suitable tools to assist in modeling real phenomena, including in medicine, and can contribute to decision-making in complex situations.