Gamma therapy to treat chemo brain

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hemotherapy often brings about cognitive side effects like memory issues and difficulty concentrating, commonly referred to as “chemo brain.”

Researchers from MIT have discovered a potential solution: a noninvasive treatment that stimulates gamma frequency brain waves may hold promise for mitigating chemo brain.

In their study using mice, they found that daily exposure to light and sound with a frequency of 40 hertz shielded brain cells from chemotherapy-induced damage, ultimately preventing memory loss and other cognitive impairments.

Originally developed for Alzheimer’s disease, this treatment demonstrates broad effects that could aid various neurological disorders, according to the researchers.

Lead author TaeHyun Kim, an MIT postdoc, collaborated with Li-Huei Tsai, the senior author and director of MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory.

Their findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, shed light on the protective nature of gamma frequency brain wave stimulation.

Years ago, Tsai and her team explored the use of 40-hertz light flickering to improve cognitive symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients, as Alzheimer’s is associated with impaired gamma oscillations.

Experiments in mice revealed that exposure to 40-hertz light or sound can induce gamma waves, offering protective effects such as preventing amyloid beta plaque formation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

Combining light and sound amplifies these benefits.

Promising results in humans have led to Phase 1 clinical trials for early-stage Alzheimer’s patients, where the treatment showed safety and neurological improvements.

In this study, the researchers aimed to extend these findings to counteract chemotherapy’s cognitive effects.

Chemotherapy drugs induce brain inflammation and other detrimental effects, resembling those seen in Alzheimer’s, including loss of white matter and myelin, the protective coating of neurons.

Using cisplatin, a common chemotherapy drug, on mice, they observed significant cognitive impairments similar to chemo brain.

However, mice receiving both cisplatin and gamma therapy exhibited reduced symptoms and improved cognitive function.

Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed suppressed inflammation-linked genes and reduced cell death, particularly in oligodendrocytes responsible for myelin production.

Moreover, the beneficial effects persisted for months, although starting the treatment after chemotherapy was less effective.

The researchers also tested the treatment with methotrexate, another chemotherapy drug, yielding similar positive outcomes.

These findings suggest a fundamental mechanism for enhancing myelination and preserving oligodendrocyte integrity.

Tsai’s lab is further exploring gamma therapy in other neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.

Cognito Therapeutics, a company co-founded by Tsai and MIT Professor Edward Boyden, has progressed to Phase 2 trials for Alzheimer’s patients and plans a Phase 3 trial this year.

While Alzheimer’s remains their primary focus, Tsai hopes to explore this approach for other conditions as well.

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The ONA Editor curates oncology news, views and reviews from Australia and around the world for our readers. In aggregated content, original sources will be acknowledged in the article footer.

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