![A cross section of a mouse brain covered with bright purple and blue pinprick dots](https://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mitch-VIPneurons-.png)
A new potential Alzheimer’s therapy uses 40-hertz frequencies of light and sound to stimulate the brain. Research applying this treatment to mice showed a substantial decrease in amyloid plaques, a key biomarker for the disease, and an improvement in cognitive function. Clinical trials testing the efficacy of this method in humans are underway.
![Four squares that have blue splotches in them. The 3rd square, labeled with 40Hz frequency, has notably fewer blue splotches](https://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Figure-1a-edit.jpg)
But how exactly does this treatment work? Could it be a game changer in Alzheimer’s patients? And what potential does it have for other degenerative diseases, like multiple sclerosis?
Ira talks with Dr. Li-Huei Tsai, professor of neuroscience and director of Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about her work developing this therapy.
Further Reading
- Read more about the research via IEEE Spectrum.
- Learn what happens to the brain in Alzheimer’s disease via the NIH.
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Segment Guests
Dr. Li-Huei Tsai is a professor of Neuroscience and the Director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Segment Transcript
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