Brain Pacemaker Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease

Listen to this News

Highlights:

• Deep brain stimulation implant can slow down the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
• The device similar to a cardiac pacemaker is implanted into the frontal lobes of the brain.
• The procedure helps reduce disease progression and improves problem-solving and decision-making skills in early-stage disease patients.

Deep brain stimulation targeting the frontal regions of the brain slows the decline of Alzheimer's symptoms in affected patients. For the first time, it was found that implanting electrical wires into the frontal regions of the brains of patients affected with Alzheimer's could slow down the decline of cognitive, behavioral, and functional abilities in patients. The study was conducted by a research team at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

While most studies have focused on improving the memory in Alzheimer's patients, very few have attempted to alleviate the other aspects of the disease including problem-solving and decision-making skills.

‘Pacemaker implanted into the brains of Alzheimer�s patients can reduce the overall performance decline typically associated with early-stage disease.’

"We have many memory aides, tools and pharmaceutical treatments to help Alzheimer's patients with memory, but we don't have anything to help with improving their judgments, making good decisions, or increasing their ability to selectively focus attention on the task at hand and avoid distractions. These skills are necessary for performing daily tasks such as making the bed, choosing what to eat and having meaningful socializing with friends and family," said Dr. Douglas Scharre, co-author of the study and director of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center's Neurological Institute.

In this study, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to modulate the brain's frontal lobe's neural networks which are responsible for problem-solving, organizing and planning, and judging abilities. By stimulating this region of the brain, the cognitive and daily functional abilities of Alzheimer's subjects declined more slowly than in Alzheimer's patients who were not treated with DBS. The implant is similar to a cardiac pacemaker except for the fact that it is surgically implanted into the brain and not the heart.

While the procedure is invasive, the research team is looking forward to developing non-surgical methods to stimulate the frontal lobe, which could slow down the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in a less invasive manner.

(https:www.j-alz.com/content/ohio-state-study-brain-pacemaker-shows-promise-slowing-decline-alzheimers)Source: Medindia

Cite this Article ⇣⇡

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

• APA

  Anjali Aryamvally. (2018, January 31). Brain Pacemaker Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease. Medindia. Retrieved on Nov 23, 2024 from https://www.medindia.net/news/healthinfocus/brain-pacemaker-slows-the-progression-of-alzheimers-disease-176625-1.htm.

• MLA

  Anjali Aryamvally. "Brain Pacemaker Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease". Medindia. Nov 23, 2024. <https://www.medindia.net/news/healthinfocus/brain-pacemaker-slows-the-progression-of-alzheimers-disease-176625-1.htm>.

• Chicago

  Anjali Aryamvally. "Brain Pacemaker Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/news/healthinfocus/brain-pacemaker-slows-the-progression-of-alzheimers-disease-176625-1.htm. (accessed Nov 23, 2024).

• Harvard

  Anjali Aryamvally. 2018. Brain Pacemaker Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease. Medindia, viewed Nov 23, 2024, https://www.medindia.net/news/healthinfocus/brain-pacemaker-slows-the-progression-of-alzheimers-disease-176625-1.htm.