A new at-home treatment for Alzheimer’s disease could soon be available, and Ochsner Health is partnering with the company behind the technology. Ochsner regional medical director Dr. Richard Zweifler says Cognito Therapeutics has developed the Spectris headset, which uses brain stimulation to help slow the disease.
“The flashing lights and sounds at a certain frequency that looks to be very beneficial to the brain in terms of protecting it from functional decline over time,” Zweifler said. .
The device is still in clinical trials and has not been approved by the FDA. But Zweifler says early results show the therapy may help remove the plaque associated with Alzheimer’s.
“To be able to slow that decline, and preserve cognition, preserve the ability for patients with this disease to communicate and have a high quality of life,” Zweifler said.
Ochsner expects FDA approval could come by next June. Through its partnership with Cognito Therapeutics, Zweifler says the goal is to make the treatment available to Ochsner patients as soon as possible.
“If we have an option to slow the decline that’s game changing,” Zweilfer said.
Patients would wear the headset for one hour a day, and Zweifler says side effects appear to be minimal.
An estimated 95,000 Louisianans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers hope the Spectris headset could provide a less invasive alternative to infusions or oral medications.
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