MIT researchers used flickering LED lights at a specific frequency to stimulate the visual cortex of mice with Alzheimer's disease. This visual stimulation significantly reduced the buildup of beta amyloid plaques in the mice's brains. While the results were promising in mice, the director of MIT's Picower Institute cautioned that treatments effective in mice do not always translate well to humans. However, the noninvasive nature of visual stimulation makes it a desirable treatment approach.

1. MIT RESEARCHERS USE VISUAL
STIMULATION TO TREAT ALZHEIMER’S
DISEASE
JEAN-JACQUES DEGROOF

2. INTRODUCTION
 Jean-Jacques Degroof is a venture investment advisor and business school lecturer with
longstanding connections to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to
earning both his MS and PhD from the MIT Sloan School of Management, he has held
multiple academic and research positions with the university. Over the years, Jean-
Jacques Degroof has closely followed technological developments at MIT, including
innovations in aging and Alzheimer’s research.
One of the more interesting recent Alzheimer’s research projects at MIT pointed to the
use of visual stimulation as a viable treatment modality. Originally released on
Nature.com, this 2016 study employed LED lights to strategically activate the visual
cortex of mice. By flickering these lights at a particular frequency, researchers were able
to significantly reduce the buildup of the beta amyloid plaques that interrupt mental
function in Alzheimer’s patients.
Although the study yielded promising results with mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease,
the director of MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory stresses that treatments
for mice often fail to translate effectively to human patients. However, the noninvasive
and accessible nature of this treatment approach makes it very desirable.