Can non-invasive brain stimulation treat Alzheimer’s Disease related epilepsy?
ENTRY FELLOWSHIP
£97,024
Dr Francesca Chaloner
Imperial College London
Epilepsy is 2-3 times more common in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than in the general population and can make cognition worse. Few studies have investigated the link between these two diseases and the mechanisms underlying this link is unknown.
"Impaired cognition and seizures are issues faced by people with Epilepsy and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) associated Epilepsy. I will look at the mechanisms of seizures in Epilepsy and AD/Epilepsy model systems and test the potential of a novel non-invasive brain stimulation tool to recover seizures. Critically, this project lays the groundwork to test the effectiveness of this brain stimulation tool against impaired cognition, which is an important issue that people with Epilepsy and AD associated Epilepsy face, to ultimately deliver a disease modifying intervention which can improve impaired cognition in people with Epilepsy and AD.
This study will use a new animal model that shows signs of both epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Francesca will measure brain activity using a technique that records electrical signals (like EEG) and shows how brain cells work together. She will also test a new type of non-invasive brain stimulation, called ‘Temporal Interference’, which can target deep brain areas without affecting surrounding tissue. The technique is already being tested in people with Alzheimer’s and may help reduce seizure activity. The study will also examine how this brain stimulation affects specific types of brain cells linked to both conditions.
The research will help explain why people with Alzheimer’s are more likely to have epilepsy. It will also test a promising new treatment that could reduce seizures and improve brain health. If successful, this approach could be quickly tested in people, offering a new option for those living with both epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.
