Zapping the brain with electric twice a day can reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s in WEEKS, study suggests

Health
By Liam
  • More than 60 patients had significantly improved cognitive function after six weeks
  • The electrical current 'stirs up' the plasticity of the brain, making 'rewiring' possible
  • READ MORE: Multiple Sclerosis Drugs Can Treat Alzheimer's Disease

By Caitlin Tilley, health reporter for Dailymail.Com

Published: | Updated:

Zapping the brain with electricity twice a day is possible reverse symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, a small study has suggested.

Researchers passed a low-intensity electrical current through the brains of patients with mild to moderate dementia and compared them with patients who received a dummy treatment.

All 63 patients showed improved word recall and recognition scores after six weeks, compared to none in the control group.

It is thought that the electrical current could 'spark' the brain's ability to change and grow, allowing 'rewiring' through the formation of new neural networks.

A patient undergoing transcranial direct current stimulation therapy (not as part of the study)

The researchers from Ningbo University in China said the results “strongly indicate” that the treatment is a “significant and promising intervention for improving cognitive function.”

The therapy, called transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS for short, involves two electrodes placed over specific parts of a person's head, such as the prefrontal cortex, that deliver a constant, low-intensity electrical current. It is non-invasive and painless.

tDCS is already used with positive results for the treatment of depression and Parkinson's.

In the study, approximately 140 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease from four hospitals were randomly assigned to receive two daily sessions of tDCS or sham tDCS on five days of the week for a period of up to six weeks.

The electrical current was sent to the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain used for planning, decision-making, working memory, social behavior and aspects of speech and language.

The participants were 65 years or older and had had Alzheimer's disease for more than six months.

The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) test, which test language and memory, were used to evaluate cognitive performance at the start of the trial, after two weeks, and again after six weeks. to soften.

Ultimately, 133 patients completed the two-week intervention and 124 patients completed the six-week intervention. There were several reasons for withdrawal, but none were due to discomfort.

After two weeks there was no change in either group, but after six weeks of 30 daily 20-minute sessions, the tDCS group had significantly improved cognitive function, particularly their word recall, recall of test instructions and word recognition.

No such improvements were seen in the sham group.

Experts think the therapy may stimulate parts of the brain related to memory that are damaged during Alzheimer's disease, such as the temporal lobes.

The electrical current can also stimulate the brain's ability to grow, change and reorganize itself. This ability is lost in Alzheimer's patients, which is partly responsible for cognitive decline.

The research was published in the journal General Psychiatry.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than six million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, which is expected to rise to 13 million by 2050.

What is Alzheimer's disease and how is it treated?

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain in which the buildup of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that transmit messages and causes the brain to shrink.

More than 6 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the sixth leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have the disease.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost.

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason.

The progression of the disease is slow and gradual.

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some can live another ten to fifteen years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

  • Loss of short-term memory
  • Disorientation
  • Behavioral changes
  • Mood swings
  • Problems handling money or making a phone call

LATER SYMPTOMS:

  • Severe memory loss, forgetting close relatives, familiar objects or places
  • Becoming anxious and frustrated about the inability to understand the world, leading to aggressive behavior
  • Eventually you lose the ability to walk
  • May have problems eating
  • The majority will eventually need 24-hour care

HOW IS IT TREATED?

There is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease.

However, there are some treatments available that help relieve some of the symptoms.

One of these is acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which help brain cells communicate with each other.

Another example is menantine, which works by blocking a chemical called glutamate, which can build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and inhibit mental function.

As the disease progresses, Alzheimer's patients may exhibit aggressive behavior and/or suffer from depression. Medications may be provided to help relieve these symptoms.

Other non-pharmaceutical treatments, such as mental training to improve memory and combat one aspect of Alzheimer's disease, are also recommended.

Source: Alzheimer's Association and the NHS

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