Khaberni - A team of Chinese scientists discovered that a simple, non-surgical sound therapy can cause significant and long-lasting biological changes in elderly monkeys.
According to the Chinese news agency "Xinhua", this discovery was revealed in the results of a study led by researchers from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and published in the latest issue of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".
The study focuses on the use of an auditory tone at 40 Hz, which is a low tone within the human hearing range.
While previous studies on mice had indicated that stimulation at 40 Hz frequency could help remove toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease from the brain, this new study provides the first decisive evidence during a study conducted on non-human primates.
In Alzheimer's disease, a protein known as beta-amyloid tends to accumulate as plaques, leading to brain cell damage and impairing memory and cognitive abilities. Normally, the brain disposes of this waste through cerebrospinal fluid.
The research team worked on nine elderly rhesus monkeys, which naturally develop brain plaques similar to those associated with Alzheimer's disease, making them highly relevant models for human case studies.
The monkeys listened to a tone at 40 Hz frequency for one hour daily over a week, and the results were astonishing as the levels of key proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease in the cerebrospinal fluid of the monkeys more than doubled immediately after the treatment period, enhancing the waste elimination process.
Huo Xin Tian, a researcher at the Kunming Institute of Zoology, said, "The effect of the auditory stimulation is enduring, as the benefit was still present and ongoing when measured five weeks after the end of the sound therapy, and it did not fade."
Huo explained that, while the currently approved drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease are effective for some patients, they may involve risks such as brain swelling, in addition to their high costs, while auditory stimulation at 40 Hz represents a safe, low-cost physical intervention.
He added, "The long-term effect we observed in primates supports the development of this gentle approach as a future treatment for Alzheimer's disease."
