Neurotherapeutix Treats Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) with fMRI-Guided rTMS
fMRI-Guided rTMS is a promising new treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. A large body of recent research shows that AD is due to an impairment of the connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) compared to healthy individuals. DMN is the main brain network that is active when a person is internally focused and detached from the outside world. The DMN composed of different brain regions
In our clinic, we use fMRI to map entire brain networks. Then, we run a special analysis for each patient to find the targets with the best outcome for strengthening the DMN through TMS treatment .
How Can fMRI-Guided TMS Treat Alzheimer’s Disease?
We use functional magnetic resonance, or fMRI, which has emerged as a way of finding signatures of neurodegenerative diseases in the brain. FMRI can identify the presence of AD This allows for tracking progression and severity as well as guide TMS treatment. Additionally, we can also offer an ongoing assessment of treatment effects. More evidence is being reported every day that supports the belief that interventions in neurodegenerative disorders must be applied in very early or even pre-symptomatic phases to effectively treat disorders like AD. As such, the use of a sensitive technique like fMRI for monitoring disease progression based on quantitative measures, combined with assessment of clinical features, offers a reliable and easy-to-track biomarker in this field.
We offer fMRI guided TMS treatment of AD by using measures of quality. High-resolution fMRI and neuro-navigation-based TMS with their combined objectivity, reliability, and validity enable us to construct biomarkers to guide our treatment of AD patients. This is particularly important, as our biomarkers are non-invasively measurable and do not put challenging demands on the patient (e.g., demanding cognitive tasks). These powerful features of fMRI have enabled us to rectify many of the shortcomings of standard TMS and turn their combination into an indispensable technique for the treatment of AD.
