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- Two thin wires implanted in the brain may help treat Alzheimer’s disease by delivering electrical current. In the first test of this technique in people, two out of the three people who received the treatment showed less of a decline in their mental abilities than people at a similar stage of the disease who didn’t have the surgery.
www.newscientist.com/article/2159754-can-a-brain-implant-treat-alzheimers-it-might-just-be-placebo/Can a brain implant treat Alzheimer's? It might just be placebo
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Jan 30, 2018 · Two thin wires implanted in the brain may help treat Alzheimer’s disease by delivering electrical current. In the first test of this technique in people, two out of the three people who...
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Neuralink’s device is around the size of a coin and designed...
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Oct 20, 2023 · A new form of deep brain stimulation being developed by researchers at Imperial College London offers hope for an alternative treatment option for dementia, without the need for surgery. Known as temporal interference (TI), the non-invasive method works by delivering electrical fields to the brain through electrodes placed on the patient’s ...
Oct 23, 2023 · A new form of deep brain stimulation being developed by researchers at Imperial College London offers hope for an alternative treatment option for dementia, without the need for surgery. Known as temporal interference (TI), the non-invasive method works by delivering electrical fields to the brain through electrodes placed on the patient’s ...
Oct 19, 2023 · By targeting the overlapping electrical fields researchers were able to stimulate an area deep in the brain called the hippocampus, without affecting the surrounding areas – a procedure that until now required surgery to implant electrodes into the brain.
- Overview
- A new therapy to improve quality of life
- Regained independence
Researchers report the success of a clinical trial that tested the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation for slowing function-related cognitive decline. This enables people affected by Alzheimer’s to keep living independently for longer.
According to a 2016 study that was published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, in the United States, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease every 66 seconds.
In total, the study authors note, about 5.4 million adults live with this condition. It is characterized by progressive memory loss and the impairment of other cognitive functions tied to conducting daily activities.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, so treatments focus on managing its symptoms. It is particularly important for people living with this condition to be able to carry out their day-to-day activities for as long as possible, in order to maintain a good quality of life.
A recent clinical trial conducted by specialists at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus tested the efficiency of implants for deep brain stimulation in helping people with Alzheimer’s to keep living independently for longer.
Dr. Douglas Scharre and colleagues’ method requires implanting very thin electrical wires into the brain’s frontal lobes, which are associated with working memory and executive functioning, which makes that area of the brain crucial in decision-making.
The researchers recruited three individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease who agreed to have the deep brain stimulation wires implanted, in the hope that the deterioration of their cognitive functions would be slowed down.
As Dr. Scharre explains, “We have many memory aides, tools, and pharmaceutical treatments to help Alzheimer’s patients with memory, but we don’t have anything to help with improving their judgments, making good decisions, or increasing their ability to selectively focus attention on the task at hand and avoid distractions.”
“These skills are necessary in performing daily tasks such as making the bed, choosing what to eat, and having meaningful socializing with friends and family,” he adds.
After conducting a promising pilot study — which indicated that deep brain stimulation of the frontal lobes could slow down the decline of functional abilities among people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s — Dr. Scharre teamed up with Dr. Ali Rezai, who was formerly based at Ohio State University but who is now at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
Dr. Rezai specializes in neuromodulation — that is, the technique of stimulating various neural areas in order to regulate or improve their function.
“Alzheimer’s and dementias are devastating diseases affecting patients and their families. It is crucial to explore new options to help improve function, daily care, and quality of life for these patients,” says Dr. Rezai, explaining the motivation behind the research.
Encouragingly, all three participants who volunteered to have the devices implanted experienced a significant improvement of the disease symptoms.
One participant, a woman aged 85, had been unable to successfully engage in certain daily activities — such as preparing her own meals — prior to this intervention.
Following a period of 2 years during which she received deep brain stimulation, the participant was able to take initiative in planning and preparing simple meals, organizing outings, bringing an appropriate sum of money if going out, and choosing which clothes to wear according to the weather. In short, she was able to regain her independence in many aspects of her life.
Her husband, happy with this progress, notes that she “has had Alzheimer’s disease longer than anybody else [he] know[s],” which is “really a positive thing because it shows that we’re doing something right.”
The next step for the researchers will be to look into less invasive, non-surgical ways of applying deep brain stimulation, so as to make access to this treatment easier for people living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Below, you can watch a video in which one of the couples involved with the current clinical trial share their story.
Jan 30, 2024 · Neuralink’s device is around the size of a coin and designed to be implanted beneath the skull, with tiny wires reaching a short distance into the brain to read neuron activity.
Sep 19, 2023 · The company’s implant resembles a flexible mesh stent and is threaded up through the jugular vein to sit against the brain, rather than inserted into the brain directly. Two former...
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What to look out for if you feel concerned about your child’s mental health.
neuros.creative-biolabs.com has been visited by 10K+ users in the past month
Biomaterials for Neurological Research & Development. High Quality & Low Cost. Inquire! All Types of Brain Tissues for Multiple Applications. Ready-to-Use. Click to Learn More.
