The Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center is thrilled to share the success of our Clinical Core leader, Dr. Benjamin Hampstead, in receiving a $4.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (R01 AG058724) to continue cutting-edge, non-pharmacologic intervention research on Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Hampstead’s research focuses on the utilization of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS): that is, weak electric currents that alter the excitability of the brain. Initial evidence from transcranial direct current stimulation research suggests that it may improve cognitive functioning in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Because effective treatment options for dementia are limited, this study’s focus is on defining potential treatment parameters to guide a more targeted and effective approach. This study will utilize the latest advancements in Alzheimer’s disease research, including the amyloid, tau, neurodegeneration (A/T/N) framework, positron emission tomography (PET) scans to measure beta-amyloid and neurofibrillary tau, and MRI to quantify brain volume. The results of this study will serve as a foundation for a novel class of non-pharmacologic treatment options. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hampstead and his team for this great achievement!
The study, called Treating Mild Cognitive Impairment with High Definition-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS), will begin in late summer/early fall 2018, enrolling patients with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. If you are interested, please contact the Hampstead Laboratory at (734) 764-4709.