Expandingproof showing that 40Hz gamma stimulation bolsters cognitive wellness is underscored
Ten years of research at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have demonstrated promising results regarding the use of sensory stimulation to modify brain rhythms and potentially treat Alzheimer's disease. Initially tested on mice, this noninvasive gamma stimulation has been observed to improve brain health and delay the progression of Alzheimer's symptoms in many experimental models. The latest open-access review article in PLOS Biology presents an overview of the current state of research and highlights the fundamental and clinical questions driving the field.
According to study lead Li-Huei Tsai, Picower professor of neuroscience at MIT, noninvasive gamma stimulation has shown beneficial effects regardless of the method used to induce it, including sensory stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation, or transcranial magnetic stimulation. All studies employing the 40Hz gamma frequency have reported positive results.
The MIT collaboration, which includes Edward Boyden and Emery N. Brown, has published a series of studies that show 40Hz stimulation can reduce hallmarks of Alzheimer's pathology, such as amyloid and tau proteins, prevent neuron death, and sustain memory and cognition in various Alzheimer's mouse models. Their investigations have also uncovered specific cellular and molecular responses in multiple brain cell types, including neurons, microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and the brain's blood vessels.
These discoveries, such as the identification of increased release of VIP peptide by interneurons in response to gamma stimulation, have opened new avenues for understanding the neuronal mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease and the beneficial effects of gamma stimulation. Furthermore, the team's phase II clinical studies have shown that people with Alzheimer's exposed to 40Hz light and sound experienced a significant slowing of brain atrophy and improvements on some cognitive measures, compared to untreated controls.
Among many examples cited by the new review, researchers in China independently confirmed in 2024 that 40Hz sensory stimulation increases glymphatic fluid flows in mice. Another study conducted by a Harvard Medical School-based team in 2022 showed that 40Hz gamma stimulation using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation significantly reduced the burden of tau in three out of four human volunteers. An additional study involving more than 100 people in Scotland in 2023 used audio and visual gamma stimulation to improve memory recall.
While the growing number of publications describing preclinical studies with mice and clinical trials with people suggest promising results, open questions remain regarding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying gamma stimulation and its optimal application for clinical use. The MIT team is currently exploring these mechanisms and investigating whether noninvasive gamma stimulation could help with various neurological disorders beyond Alzheimer's disease, such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, anxiety, epilepsy, and the cognitive side effects of chemotherapy and multiple sclerosis.
Researchers are encouraged to further explore the fundamental mechanisms of noninvasive gamma stimulation to improve and expand its therapeutic potential. The MIT team often refers to 40Hz stimulation as "GENUS" for Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation. By understanding how GENUS influences the brain, researchers may uncover new insights and expand the applications of this promising approach for treating neurological disorders.
- The public can now find a comprehensive report on the current state of research into Alzheimer's treatment through noninvasive gamma stimulation in the latest open-access review article published in PLOS Biology.
- Research at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, such as the use of sensory stimulation to modify brain rhythms, has garnered attention in the world of science news.
- Lead researcher Li-Huei Tsai, a Picower professor of neuroscience at MIT, and her colleagues have demonstrated that noninvasive gamma stimulation has shown beneficial effects on Alzheimer's disease.
- In their investigations, the MIT collaboration discovered specific cellular and molecular responses in multiple brain cell types, including neurons, when applying 40Hz gamma stimulation.
- Ongoing research is focused on understanding the neuronal mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease and the beneficial effects of gamma stimulation, particularly the increased release of VIP peptide by interneurons in response to gamma stimulation.
- Beyond Alzheimer's disease, the MIT team is exploring whether noninvasive gamma stimulation could help with various other neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, anxiety, epilepsy, and the cognitive side effects of chemotherapy and multiple sclerosis.
- In a study conducted by a Harvard Medical School-based team in 2022, 40Hz gamma stimulation using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation significantly reduced the burden of tau in three out of four human volunteers.
- Researchers in China independently confirmed in 2024 that 40Hz sensory stimulation increases glymphatic fluid flows in mice.
- An additional study involving more than 100 people in Scotland in 2023 used audio and visual gamma stimulation to improve memory recall, demonstrating the potential of this approach for health and wellness, including mental health and medical-conditions like neurological disorders.
