Studies have shown that specific frequency flashing LED lights can help treat Alzheimer's disease

Recently, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have shown that the use of a specific frequency flashing LED lights, can greatly reduce the Alzheimer's disease in the rat visual cortex beta amyloid plaques.

The principle of the treatment is to stimulate the brain to inhibit the production of beta amyloid plaques by stimulating the brain waves, called gamma oscillations, and stimulate the activity of cells that can drive away these plaques.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Picower Center for learning and memory (Picower Institute for Learning and Memory) director, Professor of neuroscience Picower Cai Lihui (Li-Huei Tsai) said that this kind of therapy is suitable for patients with Alzheimer's disease, still need further research. A study published in the December 7th online issue of the journal Nature is published in the online edition of the Journal nature.

Professor Cai Lihui (Li-Huei Tsai)

"Further research is needed because of the uncertainty," says Prof cai. For example, many examples of successful experiments in mice have failed in humans. But if one can produce a similar reaction to this treatment and obtained in mice, then I think the potential application of this therapy would be great, because this is a kind of non-invasive treatment, and relatively simple and easy to carry out. "

Professor Cai and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab (MITMediaLab), the Mcgovern Institute for Brain Science (McGovern Institute for Brain Research), associate professor of biological engineering and brain and cognitive experts, one of the authors of EdBoyden, has co founded a company called Cognito Therapeutics, in order to test in human patients. The first author of the paper includes graduate student Hannah Iaccarino, media lab assistant researcher Annabelle Singer.

Michael, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of medicine, said: "this study may herald a breakthrough in understanding and treating Alzheimer's disease, a disease that afflicts millions of people around the world. Our researchers have opened up a new direction for the study of brain dysfunction and its formation mechanism and preventive measures to open a new door. I'm excited about the research. "

Brainwave excitation

In the United States, more than five million people suffer from Alzheimer's disease. The disease is characterized by the production of beta amyloid plaques in the brain, which damage brain cells and disrupt normal brain function. Previous studies have shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease is often accompanied by symptoms of gamma oscillation. Gamma oscillations, which range from 25 Hz to about 80 Hz, are thought to contribute to the maintenance of normal brain functions such as attention, cognition and memory.

In this study, through genetic programming, mice develop Alzheimer's disease, but there is no plaque deposition or behavioral symptoms. When the mice went into the maze, Professor Cai and her colleagues found that in mice that had an activity pattern that was critical to their learning and memory, brain damage to the brain was observed.

Next, the researchers stimulated the gamma oscillations in a brain region called the hippocampus, with a frequency of 40 Hz, which played a key role in memory formation and recovery. They used a technique called optogenetics, pioneered by Boyden et al. Who use this technique to control the behavior of genetically engineered nerve cells with light. Using this method, the researchers stimulated the brain cells called intermediate neurons, which were then synchronized with the gamma activity of excitatory neurons.

After an hour of 40 Hz stimulation, the researchers found that amyloid beta levels in the hippocampus decreased by 40% to 50%. However, at frequencies between 20 and 80, the non - 40 Hz excitation did not achieve comparable results.

Professor Cai and his colleagues began to consider whether the same effect could be achieved with low trauma techniques. With Emery Edward, Professor of engineering and computational neuroscience and one of the authors of the study, Professor Brown, Professor Cai, came up with the idea of using external stimuli, light, to stimulate brain gamma oscillations. They built a simple device, including a LED lamp can be flashing at different frequencies.

Using this device, the researchers found that in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease in the early mice received LED light irradiation one hour, 40 Hz intensity after gamma oscillation of their brain is enhanced, amyloid beta protein level is also reduced by half. However, within 24 hours after the end of the irradiation, beta amyloid returned to its original level.

The scientists then studied whether prolonged treatment could reduce beta amyloid plaques in the brains of mice with higher levels of deposition. After seven days of LED light irradiation, the plaques and free floating amyloid protein decreased significantly in mice. Now, researchers are identifying the persistence of this effect.

The researchers also found that the gamma rhythm of brain waves also reduced the level of another important biological indicator of Alzheimer's disease: abnormal modification of Tau protein. The protein tangles in the brain.

Professor Cai's lab is currently investigating whether light can trigger gamma oscillations in the brain beyond the visual cortex, and preliminary data suggest that this is the