Abstract
Despite decades of research, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) remains a lethal neurodegenerative disorder for which there are no effective treatments. This review examines the latest evidence of a novel and newly introduced perspective, which focuses on the restoration of gamma oscillations and investigates their potential role in the treatment of AD. Gamma brain activity (∼25–100 Hz) has been well-known for its role in cognitive function, including memory, and it is fundamental for healthy brain activity and intra-brain communication. Aberrant gamma oscillations have been observed in both mice AD models and human AD patients. A recent line of work demonstrated that gamma entrainment, through auditory and visual sensory stimulation, can effectively attenuate AD pathology and improve cognitive function in mice models of the disease. The first evidence from AD patients indicate that gamma entrainment therapy can reduce loss of functional connectivity and brain atrophy, improve cognitive function, and ameliorate several pathological markers of the disease. Even though research is still in its infancy, evidence suggests that gamma-based therapy may have a disease-modifying effect and has signified a new and promising era in AD research.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a slowly progressing, lethal neurodegenerative disorder and the most prevalent form of dementia accounting for 60–80% of the total dementia cases worldwide (Alzheimer’s Association, 2020)
While patients’ gamma brain activity or possible changes on AD pathology were not assessed, this study provided solid evidence regarding the efficacy of gamma-based treatment in AD
Whether the observed disruption in gamma brain activity is responsible for the cognitive impairment in AD, or if it is just another outcome of the disease’s pathology remains to be answered
Summary
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a slowly progressing, lethal neurodegenerative disorder and the most prevalent form of dementia accounting for 60–80% of the total dementia cases worldwide (Alzheimer’s Association, 2020). It was found that prolonged daily 40 Hz visual stimulation had a neuroprotective effect, in terms of reduction of neuronal and synaptic loss in broad brain areas, which was accompanied by cognitive improvements Overall, these studies provided evidence that inducing gamma oscillations through sensory 40 Hz stimulation has the potential to ameliorate several of AD’s key neuropathologies, such as amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal and synaptic loss, in several mice models of AD. Control group or sham stimuli were not included for comparison reasons, the study indicated that the treatment was safe and resulted in improved functional connectivity in the default mode network and altered cytokines and immune factors in the cerebrospinal fluid Overall, both studies provided compelling evidence that gamma-based therapy, through visual and auditory stimulation, may have a disease modifying effect and may be used to alleviate AD pathology.
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