Brain revival: Re-sparking connections

Alzheimer Society Canada predicts a 66% increase in dementia by 2031, that will almost double the current half a million Canadians living with dementia. The global population is ageing rapidly, a problem that may cause strain on many economies. 10 billion is spent annually on caregivers for people with dementia, this is also expected to increase to 17 billion by 2031. Dementia is likely to affect us personally at some point in our lifetime, 1 in 5 Canadians have experience caring for someone living with some kind of dementia. My grandmother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and it can be discomforting to see the changes and fast decline caused by the disease. While most of the treatments available are drugs, there is exciting research in neuroscience and other disciplines that may, one day, be used to treat this disease. 

witonworld.com / Dementia – Symptoms, Diagnosis, Causes and Treatments

What is dementia? It is not a specific disease, it is a combination of symptoms that has many different causes, including Alzheimer’s but many others. Certain causes, like vitamin deficiency, medication reactions, and under active thyroid gland can be reversible.   

What is Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s is a cause of dementia that is irreversible. Often fatal to people diagnosed with the disease.

soterixmedical.com / tACS device 

There is an indication that a rapid decline in cognition may be a result of changes in connections between different brain regions during the lifetime. A recent study at Boston University looked at how changes in the brain’s electrical waves can affect the elderly’s working memory, their ability to store and work with useful information during a task. The researchers used a new piece of technology that can safely change brain waves temporarily, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), illustrated in the photo to the left. This non-intrusive method of brain wave manipulation allowed them to temporarily change brain waves in areas responsible for working memory, to see if that improved performance. They measured their performance by timing their response and tracking their accuracy on a short memory task. The results are fascinating and show promising functions for this new technology. Older adults, 62-75 years old, showed great improvements in working memory while receiving stimulation and even after it was over. Their performance improved even 50 mins post-stimulation. Additionally, when compared with the younger adults’, their performance was the same as the 20-29 year olds.  

Pharmacological (drug) treatments are important and needed to help manage and slow down symptoms. However, their effects tend to stop working as time goes on and the disease deteriorates the brain. Some dementia is treatable and responds well to drugs, like the ones induced by toxic reactions to prescription drugs or B12 deficiency. But other more severe types, like Alzheimer’s, is irreversible and most often fatal to people living with it. Depending on the drugs necessary and what other medication is taken, the side effects may make life harder for people living with dementia. Family taking care of relatives with dementia struggle, 2 in 3 people find the caregiving experience to be isolating. Sadly, people with dementia are often taken advantage of financially by people around them, like family and friends. All these factors illustrate the importance of maintaining good cognitive ability for as long as possible.

Brain wave stimulation may be an avenue to treat and manage dementia. It’s important to note that the research conducted was on healthy individuals not suffering from dementia. It would be irresponsible to assume that this technology can help treat diseases without doing controlled clinical trials. However, future research can help determine the limitations of this technology. Brain communication happens through both electrical and chemical signalling, tACS changes the electrical aspect of brain communication. Future research could help decipher if chemical brain signalling is also affected. Most pathological brain diseases have chemical underpinnings where non-drug alternatives may not be an option. It would be interesting to know how tACS could work alongside or instead of medication. 

References: 

Reinhart, R. M. G., & Nguyen, J. A. (2019). Working memory revived in older adults by synchronizing rhythmic brain circuits. Nature Neuroscience, 22(5), 820–827. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0371-x

What is dementia? (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2020, from https://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/About-dementia/What-is-dementia