Deep brain stimulation: a novel strategy for treating Alzheimer's disease.
Recent studies have identified an association between memory deficits and defects of the integrated neuronal cortical areas known collectively as the default mode network. It is conceivable that the amyloid deposition or other molecular abnormalities seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease may interfere with this network and disrupt neuronal circuits beyond the localized brain areas. Therefore, Alzheimer's disease may be both a degenerative disease and a broader system-level disorder affecting integrated neuronal pathways involved in memory. In this paper, we describe the rationale and provide some evidence to support the study of deep brain stimulation of the hippocampal fornix as a novel treatment to improve neuronal circuitry within these integrated networks and thereby sustain memory function in early Alzheimer's disease.
Constantine G. Lyketsos, MD, MHS, is Elizabeth Plank Althouse Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University and Chair of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center; Steven D. Targum, MD, is Scientific Director at Clintara LLC, Chief Medical Officer at Methylation Sciences Inc., BrainCells Inc., and Functional Neuromodulation Inc., Chief Medical Advisor at Prana Biotechnology Ltd., and a consultant in psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital; Jo Cara Pendergrass, PhD is Vice President of Clinical Operations at Clintara LLC; Andres M. Lozano MD, PhD, FRCSC, FRSC, is Dan Family Professor and Chairman of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and RR Tasker Chair in Functional Neurosurgery (Toronto Western Hospital), and Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience.
Constantine G
CG
Lyketsos
Steven D
SD
Targum
Jo Cara
JC
Pendergrass
Andres M
AM
Lozano