Alzheimer’s Trial Examines Heart Therapy For Memory

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A heart treatment developed in the 1970s may support memory in people with early Alzheimer’s. In a US trial involving 190 patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s, half received external counterpulsation, a cuff therapy timed to the heartbeat, while the rest received a sham treatment. Patients receiving the real therapy gained about five points on standard thinking tests, and most continued to show improvement six months after treatment ended. The trial was funded by the device maker; the sham treatment also helped a little, and the therapy is not FDA-approved for this use.  Disclosure: This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.

Transcript

00:00A heart treatment from the 1970s may help memory in early Alzheimer's disease.

00:05A U.S. trial enrolled 190 patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's.

00:11Half received external counterpulsation, which uses cuffs that inflate in time with the heartbeat.

00:16The other half received a low-pressure sham treatment.

00:19Patients on the real treatment gained about 5 points on standard cognitive scales on average.

00:24Six months after the last session, about 75% still showed improvement from the start of the trial.

00:31Some brain regions in dementia receive up to 50% less blood flow.

00:35The lead author works for the company that owns the device and funded the trial.

00:40The sham treatment also produced some benefit.

00:42The device is certified in the EU but has not received FDA approval for this use.

00:47The authors say larger and longer studies are needed.

00:50The study appeared in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.

00:55Disclosure.

00:55This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.

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