Introduction: The abnormal amyloid β (Aβ) accumulation and Aβ-related neural network dysfunction are considered central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) at the early stage. Deep-brain reachable low field magnetic stimulation (DMS), a novel noninvasive approach that was designed to intervene the network activity in brains, has been found to alleviate stress-related cognitive impairments.
Methods: Amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1 transgenic mice (5XFAD) were treated with DMS, and cognitive behavior and AD-like pathologic changes in the neurochemical and electrophysiological properties in 5XFAD mice were assessed.
Results: We demonstrate that DMS treatment enhances cognitive performances, attenuates Aβ load, upregulates postsynaptic density protein 95 level, and promotes hippocampal long-term potentiation in 5XFAD mouse brain. Intriguingly, the gamma burst magnetic stimulation reverses the aberrant gamma oscillations in the transgenic hippocampal network.
Discussion: This work establishes a solid foundation for the effectiveness of DMS in treating AD and proposes a future study of gamma rhythm stimulation on reorganizing rhythmic neural activity in AD brain.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Animal model; Aβ; Deep-brain reachable low field magnetic stimulation; Gamma oscillations; Treatment.