New research from the Picower Institute of Learning and Memory shows that vibrations at 40 hertz (Hz) can help reduce the causes and effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
Picower Institute is a research facility of MIT. Hertz is a measurement of the frequency at which a current changes direction per second. One Hz is equal to one change each second.
Subjecting mice to 40 Hz of tactical stimulation daily for several weeks produced improved brain health and motor function. Consequently, the research shows that the vibrations can reduce the Alzheimer’s related protein phosphorylated tau. By doing so, neuronal death and synaptic loss are prevented.
Previously, the Picower team had demonstrated that light flickering and/or sound clicking at 40 Hz reduces Alzheimer’s related amyloid-beta and tau proteins. A recent pilot study by the same researchers demonstrated that light and sound stimulation increased brain activity and connectivity in humans.
A separate group of MIT researchers has begun stage 3 clinical trials using light and sound stimulation to treat Alzheimer’s.
What is Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease slowly dismantles memory and cognitive function. Eventually, even the simplest daily tasks become impossible to perform.
The most common form of the disease, late on-set Alzheimer’s, usually appears when people are in their mid-sixties. However, early on-set Alzheimer’s can occur in the mid-30s.
There are no cures for Alzheimer’s. However, there are a variety of treatments including prescription drugs and behavioral treatments that can combat symptoms, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Aging Population
As more people live longer, Alzheimer’s disease is expected to become more prevalent..
By 2034, Americans 65 and older will outnumber children 18 and younger, according to the U. S. Census Bureau.
The number of Americans 65 and older is expected to reach 80 million by 2040, according to The Urban Institute. That is more than double that age group in 2000. In addition, those over 85 and older are projected to quadruple what they were in 2000.
Costs Keep Going Up
By 2050, the number of Alzheimer’s sufferers could reach almost 14 million and cost the economy over $1 trillion.
However, there is more than a monetary cost to the disease.
A five year study published in Clinical Gerontologist reported that family members who cared for an Alzheimer’s patient are at high risk of depression. Moreover, that depression got worse over time for many.
At the outset of the study, 60 percent of caregivers exhibited symptoms of mild depression. However, by the end, about a third of that number experienced progressively worse symptoms.
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Max K. Erkiletian began writing for newspapers while still in high school. He went on to become an award-winning journalist and co-founder of the print magazine Free Bird. He has written for a wide range of regional and national publications as well as many on-line publications. That has afforded him the opportunity to interview a variety of prominent figures from former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Paul Volker to Blues musicians Muddy Waters and B. B. King. Max lives in Springfield, MO with his wife Karen and their cat – Pudge. He spends as much time as possible with his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
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