Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one the most debilitating and dangerous diseases in the world. It affects over 35 million people worldwide and is especially distressing for the patient as it leads to memory loss, lack of bodily function and eventually death. It’s no surprise then that any advance in treating AD is welcomed with open arms. And a new treatment might borrow from the idea of a pacemaker.
While a standard pacemaker works by regulating your heartbeat, this so-called ‘brain pacemaker’ is an implanted device that will provide deep brain stimulation to ensure that brain function continues and the disease does not affect the sufferer so badly. Scientists at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre started using the implant on their first patient this year.
Prior to being given the implant, the patient had a mild form of AD and the symptoms were getting progressively worse. But after five months of continuous stimulation from the device, the patient’s performance in cognitive tests vastly improved. While it’s too early to know if the brain pacemaker will work in the long-term, the results are certainly very promising.
So far the doctors have not reported any adverse effects on the patient. The trial is set to conclude in 2015 by which time ten patients will have been given the implant. The research team has agreed that the results have so far been very encouraging, but that the full run of the study will be required to fully understand what is happening.
The brain pacemaker does come with a few drawbacks. Firstly it involves a highly complicated invasive surgery to place electrodes into the brain. However, the concept has been shown to be effective with Parkinson’s disease, so there is no reason why it couldn’t also be successful with AD.
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