A New Treatment for Alzheimer’s

While drug therapy has failed to produce significant results in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), transcranial electromagnetic treatment (TEMT) is showing some efficacy as a new treatment for Alzheimer’s. NeuroEM Therapeutics, a clinical-stage medical device company located in Arizona, recently published their study of TEMT treatment in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

According to the National Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s affects 5.8 million Americans. By 2050, this number is expected to more than double. Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative illness that causes dementia and eventually leads to death.

TEMT to Treat Alzheimer’s?

Because pharmaceuticals have not been able to effectively slow or reverse the cognitive damage resulting from AD, researchers are exploring nonpharmaceutical options. TEMT stands out as it uses both magnetic and electric waves. The TEMT pilot study is the first to administer electromagnetic waves to the entire human brain for an extended period. In the study, caregivers administered TEMT, using the MemorEM medical device, to eight individuals (in their homes) with mild to moderate AD over a period of two months. The Memor EM is a double-layered cap with eight emitters located between the layers to provide the electromagnetic treatment.  The patient can be mobile during the twice per day treatments.

TEMT Study: The Results

At the end of the trial, researchers discovered significant cognitive improvement with seven out of the eight patients.

TEMT demonstrated its disease-modifying effects in Alzheimer’s markers in the blood as well as the cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. MRI scans also revealed in individual patients signs of increased neuronal connectivity in the area of the brain affected by AD. There were no reported adverse side effects to the TEMT treatment.

Gary Arendash, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of NeuroEM Therapeutics, asserts in an interview with Neurology Live that “the reason why drugs have not worked against people who are diagnosed with the disease is that they’re not getting into the brain, into the neurons, and they do not have the ability to attack those oligomers that electromagnetic waves disaggregate.”

While the device has not yet been approved by the FDA, Arendash believes it’s in a good position for approval, and may perhaps be “the first effective treatment against Alzheimer’s disease.”