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Gamma sensory stimulation in mild Alzheimer's dementia: An open‐label extension study
Diane Chan, Gabrielle de Weck, Brennan Jackson, Ho‐Jun Suk, Noah Pollak Milman, Erin G. Kitchener, Vanesa S. Fernandez Avalos, M. J. Quay et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2025-10-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plain-language summary
No adverse events occurred over the study period. Three female patients with late-onset AD (LOAD) retained strong EEG entrainment and showed less decline in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and Functional Assessment Scale (FAS) scores compared to matched controls from National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC), Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), and Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS). Plasma samples were available for only two of five participants - both with LOAD - and both showed pTau217 reductions of 47% and 19%. These findings suggest that long-term 40 Hz audiovisual stimulation is safe, feasible, and may offer cognitive and biomarker benefits in some individuals with mild AD, supporting further investigation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04055376). HIGHLIGHTS: Five mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients safely used daily 40 Hz audiovisual stimulation for 2 years. Late-onset AD (LOAD) patients showed increased 40 Hz electroencephalography (EEG) power and improved cognitive scores. National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) data enhanced early-phase analysis and support precision medicine in AD studies. Plasma pTau217 declined in 2 LOAD patients after 2 years of daily use. This small pilot is the first to link long-term 40 Hz therapy to AD biomarker change.
What this study adds
Evidence grade: Moderate
This is a follow-up (cohort) study. In this small pilot of five people with mild Alzheimer's disease, daily 40 Hz audiovisual stimulation for two years caused no adverse events, and three patients with late-onset disease showed less decline on cognitive scores than matched controls. The authors describe this as a small early study supporting further investigation, not proof of benefit.
Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Chan, D., de Weck, G., Jackson, B., Suk, H., Milman, N. P., Kitchener, E. G., et al. (2025). Gamma sensory stimulation in mild Alzheimer's dementia: An open‐label extension study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70792
Vancouver
Chan D, de Weck G, Jackson B, Suk H, Milman NP, Kitchener EG, et al. Gamma sensory stimulation in mild Alzheimer's dementia: An open‐label extension study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70792. PMID: 41137616.
BibTeX
@article{chan2025-41137616,
author = {Chan, Diane and de Weck, Gabrielle and Jackson, Brennan and Suk, Ho‐Jun and Milman, Noah Pollak and Kitchener, Erin G. and Avalos, Vanesa S. Fernandez and Quay, M. J. and others},
title = {{Gamma sensory stimulation in mild Alzheimer's dementia: An open‐label extension study}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70792},
pmid = {41137616},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70792}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- No adverse events occurred over the study period.
- Three female patients with late-onset AD (LOAD) retained strong EEG entrainment and showed less decline in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and Functional Assessment Scale (FAS) scores compared to matched controls from National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC), Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), and Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS).
- Plasma samples were available for only two of five participants - both with LOAD - and both showed pTau217 reductions of 47% and 19%.
- These findings suggest that long-term 40 Hz audiovisual stimulation is safe, feasible, and may offer cognitive and biomarker benefits in some individuals with mild AD, supporting further investigation.
- CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04055376).
Why it matters
In this small pilot of five people with mild Alzheimer's disease, daily 40 Hz audiovisual stimulation for two years caused no adverse events, and three patients with late-onset disease showed less decline on cognitive scores than matched controls. The authors describe this as a small early study supporting further investigation, not proof of benefit.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 22 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 22 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Li‐Huei Tsai: h-index 131 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41137616) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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