Gamma-Music Based Intervention for Mild Alzheimer's Disease
Northeastern University
Summary
The study will test and refine a novel brain-stimulation tool using gamma-frequency lights coupled with self-selected music for a gamma-music-based intervention for participants with mild Alzheimer's Disease. Results will yield a gamma-stimulation protocol that reliably influences brain activity (Aim 1), is adaptive, motivating and rewarding to use (Aim 2), and will generate predictions as to who might benefit the most from gamma-MBI (Aim 3). By bridging the gap between neurostimulation and behavioral intervention by combining music therapy with gamma- band neurostimulation, the present project aims to find a sustainable intervention that delays the progression of AD.
Description
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive deficits such as memory loss, as well as deficits in the motivation that drives daily activities. These cognitive and motivational deficits are linked to widespread neuronal and synaptic atrophy, coupled with aggregated extracellular Aβ-plaque and tau deposits, and atypical neural activity across multiple frequencies. Recent work in mouse models of AD have shown that inducing gamma oscillations with a non-invasive gamma-frequency (40 Hz) light-flickering and auditory tone-stimulation regimes reduced Aβ plaques and improved spatial and reco…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 50–95 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Mild AD participants will be ages 55-90, amnestic (single or multiple domain) who perform below an education- adjusted cut-off score on the Logical Memory II subscale delayed paragraph recall of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R LM-IIa) (Wechsler 1987) (≥16 years: ≤8; 8-15 years: ≤4; 0-7 years: ≤2), have a CDR global score of 0.5 (with a memory box score of 0.5 or 1), have an MMSE score of 20-24, and have preserved instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) as determined by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study ADL Prevention Instrument (ADCS ADL-PI). All participants will be med…
Interventions
- BehavioralGamma-Music Based Intervention
Gamma or Control lights with Music-Based Intervention for 8 week period
Location
- Northeastern UniversityBoston, Massachusetts