So, with all the news about aduhelm, Biogen’s treatment for Alzheimer’s, that has been in the news a lot lately, shouldn’t we be looking for a potential treatment that actually works?
Imagine if we just simply listened to a low-pitched noise- and gazed at blinking lights for an hour- and that would help us stave off Alzheimer’s. OK- let’s not imagine it, let’s really consider it. Because the data indicates that this really works- it stops any structural changes in our brains- so cognitive impairments associated with Alzheimer’s are precluded.
Drs. Diane Chan, Ho-Jun Suk, Brennan Jackson, Noah Pollak Milman, Danielle Stark, Erin Kitchener, Vanesa S. Fernandez Avalos, Arit Banerjee, Sara D. Beach, Joel Blanchard, Emery N. Brown, Edward S. Boyden [senior author] Li-Huei Tsai [also senior author] (all of MIT), along with Drs. Elizabeth B. Klerman and Bradford Dickerson (Mass General), Dr. Colton Stearns (Stanford), Drs. Aaron Boes, Brandt Uitermarkt, Phillip Gander, and Matthew Howard III (U Iowa), Drs. Eliezer J. Sternberg (Milford Regional Hospital and (U Mass Med School), as well as Drs. Alfonso Nieto-Castanon, , Sheeba Anteraper, and Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli (Northeastern) just published their findings in the preprint server medRxiv. The patients with mild forms of Alzheimer’s developed more stable circadian rhythms- but, more importantly, they scored higher on cognitive tests over the course of the 3 month trial.
The study was chosen because we knew that many Alzheimer’s patients manifest disrupted gamma oscillations. These oscillations are the waves of brain’s electrical activity, associated with higher cognitive (attention and memory) functions. Mouse studies demonstrated that the sound and 40 Hz light pulses augmented the gamma oscillations, reduced amyloid beta plaques, and improved their memory. The device used was called the GENUS- Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimuli. (Drs. Boyden and Tsai have set up a company to capitalize on this product, Cognito Therapeutics)
Two tests were effected, with randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. 8 folks received both the light and sound stimulation; 7 were presented with white noise and constant white light (control conditions). The GENUS worked as expected for normal young (18 to 35) and older adults (50 to 100), as well as those Alzheimer’s patients that manifested mild dementia. The key additional finding was that no adverse effects were noted- even when two folks with epilepsy were included in the trial. The study determined that after three months of therapy, the subjects manifested less ventricular enlargement (ventricular enlargement is a symptom of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease), no change in the hippocampus volumes, and increased connectivity in the brain circuits associated with sensory processing and memory. (This latter conditioned involved the use of fMRI.) The subjects also demonstrated significant improvement in face-name association test (improved cognition).
After four months of therapy, the subject’s circadian rhythms were more stable (as opposed to disrupted circadian rhythms associated with Alzheimer’s) .
I expect to hear a lot more about Cognito soon.
Fascinating read. And sounds hopeful. I’m interested to read more about disrupted rhythms. Thanks for sharing.
Me, too, Mary E.
Interesting. So should I start looking at blinking lights now — or is it too late to stop any processes? By the time, they figure that out, I may be too old for it to matter. I look forward to hearing more about this…
Dominique recently posted..S’mores for National S’mores Day
The data says it is not too late, Dominique.
My mom had Alzheimer’s and it was the worst to see her go down hill. I’d be up to trying anything that might help with a treatment or cure.
Let’s hope this is one such innovation.
Roy, how fantastic. Reduce the beta amyloid plaques?? Improve cognition?? Super. Thanks for reporting on this.
Kebba Buckley Button recently posted..Healthy Happy Loving Life: 4 Top Tips to Shake Off a Bad Mood
i am hoping to see it on the market this year, Kebba.