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A method of stimulating the brain's gamma waves could pave the way for non-invasive treatments for so-called “chemobrain,” a side effect of chemotherapy on cognitive performance. According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the new findings: scientific translational medicine showed promising initial results in mice treated with chemotherapy.
Cognitive impairment after chemotherapy
Chemobrain is something that some cancer patients experience as a side effect of cancer treatment. It causes a number of symptoms, including short-term memory loss, decreased attention span, and chronic fatigue that can last for years after treatment.
“Although the detailed mechanisms of chemobrain are not completely understood, key pathological features are DNA damage, oxidative stress-related cell damage, and chronic inflammatory responses in the brain,” said Professor of Neuroscience at MIT. said Dr. Li-Huei Tsai. The study's senior author said: technology network.
Tsai's lab has demonstrated promising results against Alzheimer's disease (AD) by stimulating gamma waves in the brain. They hypothesized that chemobrain could also benefit, given its common features with neurodegenerative diseases.
This treatment is known as Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation (GENUS). Pulses of light and/or sound at a frequency of 40 Hz are used to induce gamma oscillations in the brain.
What is gamma oscillation?
Gamma oscillations are brain waves that range from 25 to 80 Hz (cycles per second). They are thought to be related to brain functions such as attention, perception, and memory. Early research suggests that people with Alzheimer's disease may have the following symptoms: Gamma oscillation disorder.
Studies using mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and small pilot studies in human Alzheimer's patients have found that GENUS is safe and may offer neurological benefits. Tsai's lab investigated whether GENUS could counteract the cognitive effects of chemobrain using a mouse model.
Mouse studies yielded positive results
The animals in Tsai's study were treated with short cycles of the common chemotherapy drug cisplatin, given for five days, then five days off, and then given for a final five days. One group received chemotherapy only, and the other group also received GENUS treatment during and after chemotherapy.
“The treatment itself is a very simple and non-invasive method,” Tsai explained. “Animals are exposed to flashing LED lights and sound pulsating at 40 Hz for one hour each day.”
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Mice that did not receive GENUS therapy had reduced brain volume, DNA damage, and inflammation, as well as decreased numbers of oligodendrocytes (brain cells that produce myelin) and demyelination. On the other hand, mice that received both chemotherapy and GENUS had significantly fewer of these findings and performed better on cognitive tests.
“We found that this treatment increased the expression of genes involved in DNA damage repair and resistance to oxidative stress and apoptosis,” Tsai added.
GENUS showed similar effects in mice treated with methotrexate, another chemotherapy drug that works differently than cisplatin.
“We believe that these responses in the brain protect brain cells and reduce inflammatory responses in chemobrain and neurodegenerative diseases,” Tsai said.
However, although the mice received chemotherapy, they did not develop cancer. This is something Tsai hopes to address in further research. “It should be tested [to see] “If GENUS treatment is safe and has the same effect as we observed on chemical brain lesions in animals with cancer,” she added.
The results of this study suggest that timing is important for GENUS treatment, as GENUS treatment was less effective when started 3 months after the last chemotherapy treatment than during chemotherapy.
Continued focus on neurodegenerative diseases
“GENUS has already been shown to be safe in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease, so we believe our study provides results with high potential for clinical use,” Tsai explained. “This study also demonstrated that GENUS can prevent oligodendrocyte loss and rescue demyelination commonly observed in neurodegenerative diseases.”
“Furthermore, we observed similar effects of GENUS on neurons and glial cells in the brain using a chemobrain mouse model and an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model. This suggests that it may be an effective treatment.”
Tsai's current research focus is on whether GENUS is effective in treating and improving neurodegenerative disease pathology.
reference: Kim T, James BT, Kahn MC, et al. Gamma ray entrainment using audiovisual stimulation reduces chemical brain pathology and cognitive impairment induced by chemotherapy in mice. science trans medicine. 2024.doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf4601
Dr. Li-Huei Tsai was speaking with Dr. Sarah Whelan, Science Writer at Technology Networks.
About the interviewee:
Dr. Li-Huei Tsai is director of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and professor of neuroscience in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. She received her PhD at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, where her research uses interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the mechanisms underlying neurological disorders that affect learning and memory. is focused on.
