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

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.