A feasibility trial of gamma sensory flicker for patients with prodromal Alzheimer's disease

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: James Lah, Emory University; Qiliang He, Georgia Institute of Technology; Kay M Colon-Motas, Emory Healthcare; Alyssa F Pybus, Georgia Institute of Technology; Lydia Piendel, Emory Healthcare; Jonna K Seppa, Emory Healthcare; Margaret Walker, Emory University; Cecelia M Manzanares, Emory Healthcare; Deqiang Qiu, Emory University; Svjetlana Miocinovic, Emory University; Levi B Wood, Georgia Institute of Technology; Allan Levey, Emory University; Annabelle Singer, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-01-01
• Publisher: Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/trc2.12178
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: e12178
• End Page: e12178
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was primarily supported by Cognito Therapeutics. Additional support for work at Georgia Tech include Friends and Alumni of Georgia Tech (Annabelle C. Singer, Qiliang He), Lane Family (Annabelle C. Singer). Cognito Therapeutics provided sensory stimulation devices and training to study staff for device usage. The funding sources had no role in the design of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation or approval of the manuscript; and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
• Keywords: neural stimulation; electrophysiology; sensory stimulation; default mode network; feasibility trial; prodromal Alzheimer's disease; amyloid beta; gamma stimulation; cytokines
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Radiology; Engineering, Mechanical

Abstract

Introduction: We and collaborators discovered that flickering lights and sound at gamma frequency (40 Hz) reduce Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and alter immune cells and signaling in mice. To determine the feasibility of this intervention in humans we tested the safety, tolerability, and daily adherence to extended audiovisual gamma flicker stimulation. Methods: Ten patients with mild cognitive impairment due to underlying AD received 1-hour daily gamma flicker using audiovisual stimulation for 4 or 8 weeks at home with a delayed start design. Results: Gamma flicker was safe, tolerable, and adherable. Participants’ neural activity entrained to stimulation. Magnetic resonance imaging and cerebral spinal fluid proteomics show preliminary evidence that prolonged flicker affects neural networks and immune factors in the nervous system. Discussion: These findings show that prolonged gamma sensory flicker is safe, tolerable, and feasible with preliminary indications of immune and network effects, supporting further study of gamma stimulation in AD.