And for the light strobe, best bet seems to be one of these, we can program the frequency and brightness:
Looks very serious and the data seems quite strong - including in humans…
Promising results from our Phase 2 study
In our Phase 2 OVERTURE trial, significant slowing of disease progression was observed among treated patients through the preservation of cognition, daily function, and whole brain volume. No serious treatment-limiting adverse events were reported.
Exploring treatment across multiple neurodegenerative diseases
Our treatment received the FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for the treatment of cognitive and functional symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and we are expanding our approach to many other indications.
We have successfully completed our Phase 2 OVERTURE study and are currently recruiting for our pivotal HOPE study. Patients across multiple clinical studies have completed over 40,000 treatment sessions to date.
Anyone see any paper on the trial?
More outcome data from the trial here:
@adssx any thoughts on this - btw, seems like they are going to try in PD also
I did notice in the follow up papers that for humans the best frequency was 32-35hz when young and relatively healthy, but 40+hz when old and already clinical of dementia signs. It’s why I’d like to get a device or number of devices that let me adjust the frequency, as more info comes to light.
e.g., 35 hz = 2100 rpm
Yes, I “believe” in this. There are many trials done by many serious companies and/or academics around that. Can’t wait for the results!
Anecdotically, I use the YouTube video shared by @desertshores when I want to focus, and it works 
Brain stimulation with 40 Hz music and strobe light promotes removal of toxic amyloid via glymphatic pathways (Nature) - #9 by desertshores
besides the MIT group and Cognito therapeutics can you point me to some of the other companies (and academic groups if they are doing any human trials)?
- NIR light pulsed at 40 Hz for dementia: Vielight Neuro Gamma 4 - Brain Photobiomodulation Device
- MCI trial ending soon: Neuro RX Gamma for Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI)
- Same for PD: SYMBYX Neuro – SYMBYX Biome (see also: SYMBYX Neuro Light Therapy Wellness Helmet Positively Impacts Parkinson Disease Symptoms )
- (A French team does NIR light therapy for PD at 150 Hz btw: Clinical Trial for Near Infrared Endoventricular Illumination for Neuroprotection in Very Early Cases of Parkinson’s Disease (Ev-NIRT) (Ev-NIRT) )
- MIT one: High Frequency Light, Sound, and Tactile Stimulation to Improve Motor and Cognitive Deficits in Parkinson’s Disease
- Italian team, at 70 Hz “as representative of the endogenous motor network-related gamma frequency”: Parkinson’s Disease and Gamma-transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation
- Another Italian team: At Home Gamma tACS in Alzheimer’s Disease (tACS@Home) (tACS@Home)
- Emory: Gamma Sensory Flicker for Parkinson’s Disease Patients With Freezing of Gait (Flicker w FOG)
- Harvard: Gamma-Induction in FrontoTemporal Dementia Trial (GIFTeD)
- Harvard: Individual Closed-Loop Neuromodulation Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease “To determine the impact of closed-loop 40 Hz tACS on the entrainment of natural gamma rhythms in patients with AD-MCI, 2.) To determine the impact of closed-loop 40 Hz tACS on cognitive performance in patients with AD-MCI”
- Danish team for AD: Study on the Effect of 40 Hz Non-Invasive Light Therapy System
- University of Tennessee: Sensory-Evoked Cortical Gamma Oscillation
- Finnish team: Non-invasive Neurostimulation as a Tool for Diagnostics and Management for Neurodegenerative Diseases “Device: Gamma tACS (40 Hz) over the superior parietal cortex”
- UCSF: Photobiomodulation for Improving Brain Function in Dementia (PBM Dementia) (PBM Dementia) “The NIR lights are pulsed at a 40 Hz rate, which correlates with electroencephalogram (EEG) gamma brain wave entrainment.”
- Mexico, trial completed, results not yet published: Acute Effect of Low-intensity Gamma rTMS on Cognitive and EEG Parameters in Adults With Mild Dementia by Alzheimer’s Disease
- Mount Sinai: Rhythmic Light Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease Patients “The investigator will demonstrate the effect of 40 hertz (Hz) rhythmic light (RL) to promote gamma wave entrainment”
- Still Mount Sinai: Phase 2 - Rhythmic Light Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
- Chinese Army: Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Combined With 40Hz Sound Stimulation for Treatment Alzheimer’s Disease
- Boston University: Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment With Combination of 40Hz Light and Cognitive Therapy (AlzLife)
- Amsterdam UMC: Memory Enhancement Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (Memento) “Gamma (40 Hz) tACS at the precuneus region”
- Chinese University of Hong Kong: Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (TACS) for Sleep Disturbances in Neurocognitive Disorders Due to Alzheimer’s Disease
For dissenting views on this topic see (+ read the comments, including Li-Huei Tsai’s answer): Does Flashing Light Really Lower Cortical Amyloid? 2023
In any case, given the vast number of trials we’ll soon know if it works!
The part the naysayers might be missing is the best results were seen with multi sensory stimulation—sound, light, vibration / tactile stimulation. Entrainment could be hit or miss with any of them in isolation. I think the devices specifically marketed for this are overkill at this stage — expensive and clunky.
A light strobe, binaural beats, and ideally massage or EMS at the same frequency, with marginal cost for each modality, would be my preferred choice. As I mentioned up thread, 40hz isn’t even ideal for humans, only for AD model mice. My only real concern before I buy the light strobe and massager is…. Do the frequencies need to be in phase with each other? It would obviously be very difficult to sync them in phase without their being controlled from a single central unit. The neck massager actually strikes me at the most likely to yield good results as there’s mechanical stimulation too in the vicinity of the cerebral fluid chambers, which could enhance the effectiveness of the vibration.
Also when it yields a pleasant sensation one is more likely to stick with it as part of a daily routine. And if it only costs something in the neighborhood of $100-200, there’s less reason to wait for the clinical trial before taking a plunge. I actually have a super powerful PEMF device that I could program for 35-40hz and operate it on my head (replaces those clunky transcranial helmets) but can’t do it yet as I’m pregnant.
Very helpful. Look forward to seeing the data from the trials!!!
You’ve done a lot more reading on this than I have, does it say anywhere what it feels like when it works? How do you know if you’re doing it right? Do people fall asleep? Do they stand or sit? It’s a surprise to me that it works this well.
I’ve seen no account of that. What I read is that it works better with white light (as opposed to other colors) for younger folks at least, better when their eyes were open vs shut, and better when they were performing mentally challenging tasks during the exposure — somehow it helped the entrainment reach the hippocampus.
The mice data suggests that it might work better if the conditions are enjoyable — that if and when the mice found the stimulus stressful or tried to avert it, it negated the benefits. So it helps to want to see the light. If there’s anything to this, I think it would help to layer in massage at the 35-40hz frequency as one element of the “multi sensory” matrix, so the whole thing feels better. Maybe people can work on their Wordle and such while lying down with the neck massager on at the same frequency as the binaural beat entrainment, and the light strobe somewhere in the corner of their visual field. Could be a nice little daily ritual of half hour or so.
A new review article in PLOS Biology describes the state of research so far and presents some of the fundamental and clinical questions at the forefront of the non-invasive gammastimulation now.
“As we’ve made all our observations, many other people in the field have published results that are very consistent,” said Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor at MIT, director of MIT’s Aging Brain Initiative, and senior author of the new review with postdoc Jung Park. “People have used many different ways to induce gamma including sensory stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation or transcranial magnetic stimulation, but the key is delivering stimulation at 40 Hz. They all see beneficial effects.”
I’ve been doing it with the Amazon device. It definitely entrains it as after I shut it off, I still “hear” the same buzzing in my head for a while. And I do it while I read a book on my kindle — helps me focus on it better while I read when I’m tired before bed. It’s not a very elegant mode of delivery though. I preordered that Bia device and I’m trying to get the founders to add it as a mode on their app. They seemed very receptive to it though haven’t flat out committed yet. Seems like a no brainer — to prevent the might-as-well-have-no-brain state. 
- david delight pro