Source : WAM
Chinese scientists have shown that simple, non-invasive sound therapy can trigger significant and long-lasting biological changes in aged monkeys, offering new hope for a potential physical treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, Xinhua reported.
The study, published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by researchers from the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The research focused on a 40-hertz auditory tone, a low hum within the human hearing range. While earlier studies in mice suggested that 40-hertz stimulation could help remove Alzheimer’s-related toxic proteins from the brain, this study provides the first critical evidence from non-human primates.
In Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid proteins accumulate into plaques, damaging brain cells and impairing memory and cognition. Normally, the brain clears such waste via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
The team worked with nine aged rhesus monkeys, whose brains naturally develop Alzheimer’s-like plaques, making them a relevant model for human studies. The monkeys were exposed to a one-hour, 40-hertz tone daily for one week.
The results were remarkable: key Alzheimer’s-related protein levels in the monkeys’ CSF more than doubled immediately after treatment, indicating enhanced waste clearance.
“Most remarkably, the effect persisted. When we measured five weeks after the sound treatment ended, the beneficial change had not faded,” said Hu Xintian, a researcher at the KIZ.
Current approved drug therapies for Alzheimer’s, while effective for some, can carry risks like brain swelling and are also costly. In contrast, 40-hertz auditory stimulation represents a safe, low-cost physical intervention, Hu said.
“The long-lasting effect we see in primates supports developing this gentle approach as a future therapy for Alzheimer’s,” he added.
