Cholinergic Deep Brain Stimulation for Alzheimer's Disease

This project will investigate the potential of Deep Brain Stimulation to improve cognitive abilities and counteract the effects of Alzheimer's disease. Deep Brain Stimulation electrodes targeting the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert (NB) will be implanted bilaterally in a cohort of patients. NB is the sole source of acetylcholine to the neocortex. Such stimulation may not only treat the cognitive symptoms but may have disease-modifying effects. Drawing from animal experiments in non-human primates that showed success of this approach, intermittent stimulation will be delivered at 60 pulses per second for 20 seconds of each minute for one hour per day. The study team will recruit patients, shortly after first being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The study design will test the safety and efficacy of stimulation, potential benefits in cognitive function assessed with a battery of neurocognitive tests, cholinergic neurotransmission evaluated with Positron Emission Tomography, and ability to reverse Alzheimer's biomarkers, including beta amyloid and tau in the cerebrospinal fluid. Successful completion of this project will lead to a potential new intervention for the cognitive impairments of Alzheimer's disease.