An irreversible neurological disease, Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent cause of dementia in the elderly, according to the National Institute on Aging. Alzheimer's disease causes changes to the brain as early as 10 to 20 years before the onset of symptoms. Two types of brain changes occur: twisted fragments of protein called tangles and accumulation of dying nerve cells around protein called plaques.
The damage to patients' brains from Alzheimer's disease causes problems with normal functioning, such as language. MedlinePlus notes that in early Alzheimer's disease, patients have trouble finding names for familiar objects. For example, if an Alzheimer's disease patient sees a set of keys, she can have problems verbally identifying them as keys. With moderate Alzheimer's disease, the language problems become more pronounced. For example, patients can have difficulty writing or reading. When speaking, patients may form confusing sentences. They may also use the wrong word or mispronounce words. By the advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease, patients cannot understand language anymore.
The loss of language can be debilitating for patients. A new study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry points out that a type of brain stimulation called repetitive transcranial stimulation (rTMS). The University of Michigan notes that rTMS can also be used to treat depression. With this procedure, the doctor places coils on certain areas of the brain, which transmit electrical signals to the brain. rTMS can transmit up to 100 Hz of electrical signals to the brain.
In the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry article, the study uses 10 people diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer's disease. The participants were randomly divided into groups for testing. The first group received four weeks of rTMS with 20 Hz of electrical signals. The second group received two weeks of “dummy” tests, which acts as a control, followed by two weeks of rTMS. The researchers placed the rTMS coils on the front of participants' heads, delivering the electrical signals to the prefrontal lobes of the brain.
During rTMS treatment, the researchers tested all participants on language, memory and executive functions three times: two weeks into the treatment, four weeks into treatment and after eight weeks. HealthDay News reports that participants who received the full four weeks of rTMS had an improvement in their language comprehension tests—66 percent correct to 77 percent correct. The participants who were controls did not have improvement until after the two weeks of rTMS treatment. In addition, participants continued to have improvement two months after the treatment, but only in reading comprehension.
The researchers note that it is not clear how rTMS works and how it helps with Alzheimer's disease. While this is a preliminary study, though further studies may prove they can help with language problems.