Recent research indicates that daily 40Hz audiovisual stimulation, known as GENUS, is safe and feasible for individuals with late-onset Alzheimer's, with promising signs it may slow cognitive decline and reduce disease biomarkers, warranting larger trials.

The long-term study supports GENUS's potential to impact Alzheimer's progression positively, especially in late-onset cases, by possibly slowing disease progression and lowering biomarkers.

This noninvasive therapy, which involves light and sound stimulation, has shown biological effects such as decreasing tau proteins linked to Alzheimer's pathology, and it is safe for at-home use.

In a small sample, three female late-onset Alzheimer's patients experienced cognitive benefits and increased brain responsiveness, whereas two male early-onset patients did not show significant improvements, suggesting differences based on disease onset age.

The study highlights that late-onset female patients showed notable improvements, including slower decline and enhanced brain activity, compared to untreated controls, while early-onset patients did not benefit as much.

Researchers are exploring whether GENUS could have preventative effects in at-risk individuals, especially those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, before symptoms appear.

The therapy was well tolerated, safe, and suitable for at-home use, with no adverse effects reported, and findings suggest it may have meaningful biological impacts on Alzheimer’s pathology.

Blood tests from late-onset patients revealed significant reductions in tau proteins, including pTau217, which are strongly associated with Alzheimer’s, indicating potential biological benefits of the treatment.

Participants with late-onset Alzheimer’s maintained higher cognitive scores, improved sleep, and showed decreased plasma tau biomarkers after two years of daily GENUS therapy.

A two-year, small-scale study involving five volunteers with mild Alzheimer’s demonstrated that 40Hz sensory stimulation is safe and feasible, with potential cognitive and biological benefits.

This research, conducted by MIT’s Picower Institute and funded by various foundations, is part of ongoing efforts to evaluate GENUS as both a preventive and therapeutic intervention for Alzheimer’s.

GENUS works by synchronizing brain activity to a 40Hz gamma rhythm, which has been shown in animal models and early studies to preserve neurons, reduce amyloid and tau proteins, and improve learning and memory.