(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-08)
Salen, Ashley
The rising prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which leads to progressively deteriorating memory and thinking skills is alarming. A preliminary data analysis was performed to predict potential behavioral changes that may occur in cognitively healthy older adults between conditions as a result of using the flicker for 8 weeks. Although the preliminary data analysis has not yet yielded any statistically significant effects induced by the 40 Hz gamma flicker on the memory of the flicker group compared to the control group, it may provide insight into what the results could look like further down the line. Based on graph analysis, it could be predicted that the flicker group may have fewer spatial memory deficits.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-04)
Davis, Katie; DeWal, Jyotleen; Kemp, Megan; Salen, Ashley; Brown, Thackery; He, Qiliang
Recent studies have demonstrated that a gamma sensory stimulation, light and sound flickering at 40 Hz, decreased Alzheimer’s symptoms and pathology in mice. Subsequent human trials showed similar results. Here we focus on preliminary behavioral results of a study in which cognitively healthy older adults use either the flicker intervention, or a control intervention consisting of constant light and sound, for one hour per day for 8 weeks. Participants will complete a face-name-occupation memory task, a spatial memory test using virtual reality (VR), and a line-detection task before and after the 8 weeks. It is hypothesized that there will be greater improvements in episodic, long-term, and spatial memory for those using the flicker. So far, preliminary data has shown both groups have higher accuracy in episodic memory after 8 weeks, likely due to learning effects. Preliminary spatial memory data demonstrates that flickering participants have a similar spatial error after 8 weeks, while those in the control group have increased spatial error. Preliminary data also shows the flickering group has similar memory performance after 8 weeks, while those in the control group are more prone to retrieval errors. There is no statistical significance in the current data analysis, but these patterns may become significant once sample size increases (N = 11). Based on current results, it is expected that the flicker group will have fewer spatial memory deficits and fewer long-term memory retrieval errors, and these results could give insight into flicker effectiveness in cognitively healthy older adults.