Application of Electrical Stimulation in BCI in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

This paper systematically discusses the application prospect of neuromodulation technology in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It focuses on the potential role of various techniques, including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), in improving the cognitive function of AD patients. With the aggravation of the global aging problem, the incidence of AD is increasing year by year, and the existing treatment methods are difficult to effectively prevent the progress of the disease. Studies have shown that technologies such as TENS and DBS can improve patients’ memory and cognitive function to some extent. For example, a study by Smith et al. (2020) found that DBS applied to the fornix resulted in a 20% improvement in memory scores over a 6-month period. However, due to the small sample size and inconsistent experimental design, the universality and reliability of the existing research results are still limited. Future studies should aim for larger, more diverse sample sizes and standardized experimental protocols to enhance the robustness of findings. This article reviews the latest research results of these neuromodulation techniques, emphasizing the importance of optimizing treatment parameters and expanding the scale of clinical trials. The paper is structured as follows: first, this paper discusses each neuromodulation technique in detail; then, this paper analyzes their potential benefits and limitations; finally, this paper provides recommendations for future research directions.