Deep Brain Stimulation Showing Promise for People With Mild Alzheimer's Disease Over 65

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that persons older than 65 continue to derive the most benefit from Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the fornix, reports ScienceDaily . The results stem from data compiled from 42 people with mild Alzheimer's enrolled in a randomized, double-blind multicenter phase II clinical trial and implanted with DBS electrodes directed at the fornix, and tracked for two years. In the trial's first year, to better quantify the impact of electrical stimulation, subjects were randomly assigned to either the "on" or "off" stimulation cohort after their procedure and monitored. Once this phase of follow-up was done, all subjects had their electrodes activated and were followed for another year. In that year, researchers saw similar observations to what they had seen in the first phase. There were no differences overall in cognitive outcomes between study participants who had their device turned on just after surgery and those who had it turned on after 12 months, although those 65 years and older seemed to exhibit a slower progression of Alzheimer's than younger individuals, regardless of when their device was activated. "The next phase of our research will help determine whether this observed benefit is something we continue to see in this age group," says University of Toronto Professor Andres Lozano. "If it does, this could potentially give us a treatment for mild, late-onset Alzheimer's disease."