4 ms·

So I'm pretty skeptical, they are presumably targeting amyloid plaques in the brain with electro-magnetic stimulation. I just think how? Is it a microwave tuned

So I'm pretty skeptical, they are presumably targeting amyloid plaques in the brain with electro-magnetic stimulation. I just think how? Is it a microwave tuned to destroy the proteins or some other means? The mechanism of action seems very very sketchy to me and I just don't believe you can target proteins without hurting other parts of the brain. Anyone with more information on the mechanism of action I'd love to hear it. Until then I'll assume it's just made up.

Cederfjard 7y ago
Here's the research article: https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad190367 https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-...
wereHamster 7y ago
FTA, though I don't have any more detailed information about the process: > Based on the evidence so far, TEMT looks like it can break up the toxic amyloid-beta and tau proteins that have been extensively linked with Alzheimer's – the waves are apparently able to destabilise the weak hydrogen bonds that hold them together.
- hoseja 7y ago
  That sounds like something entirely too unspecific. Amyloid plaques aren't the only thing relying on hydrogen bonds...
  - Ensorceled 7y ago
    Many treatments for many diseases do a lot of harm to stuff that we don't want harmed ... chemotherapy, radiotherapy, most of the thousands of drugs have side effects.
  - Bartweiss 7y ago
    Molecular hydrogen bonding appears to have a medically-interesting effect on cell permeability in the brain, and I'm sure other things. But most hydrogen bond effects are pretty short-lived, while amyloid plaques build up over a long time as the brain fails to remove them as waste. This is obviously hugely preliminary, but it sounds possible that whatever disruption is being caused is at least shorter-term or less destructive than the benefits of counteracting a slow-moving process like Alzheimer's.
AlexCoventry 7y ago
Wasn't the amyloid-plaque etiology debunked recently?
- anonuser123456 7y ago
  Not debunked, just very much in question. A number of amyloid clearing drug trails have failed to achieve clinical progress on the disease in spite of clearing beta-amyloid.
- jcranmer 7y ago
  I'll let Derek Lowe (of Things I Won't Work With/In the Pipeline fame) summarize it: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2019/03/21/a-brief-note-about-alzheimers https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2019/03/21/a-... > Something is wrong with the way we’re thinking about Alzheimer’s and amyloid, folks, something is wrong. It’s been wrong for a long time and that’s been clear for a long time. Do something else.
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    From that summary it seems that amyloid may be an effect, not a cause, of Alzheimer's.

Cederfjard 7y ago

Here's the research article: https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad190367 https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-...

wereHamster 7y ago

FTA, though I don't have any more detailed information about the process: > Based on the evidence so far, TEMT looks like it can break up the toxic amyloid-beta and tau proteins that have been extensively linked with Alzheimer's – the waves are apparently able to destabilise the weak hydrogen bonds that hold them together.

hoseja 7y ago
That sounds like something entirely too unspecific. Amyloid plaques aren't the only thing relying on hydrogen bonds...
- Ensorceled 7y ago
  Many treatments for many diseases do a lot of harm to stuff that we don't want harmed ... chemotherapy, radiotherapy, most of the thousands of drugs have side effects.
- Bartweiss 7y ago
  Molecular hydrogen bonding appears to have a medically-interesting effect on cell permeability in the brain, and I'm sure other things. But most hydrogen bond effects are pretty short-lived, while amyloid plaques build up over a long time as the brain fails to remove them as waste. This is obviously hugely preliminary, but it sounds possible that whatever disruption is being caused is at least shorter-term or less destructive than the benefits of counteracting a slow-moving process like Alzheimer's.

AlexCoventry 7y ago

Wasn't the amyloid-plaque etiology debunked recently?

anonuser123456 7y ago
Not debunked, just very much in question. A number of amyloid clearing drug trails have failed to achieve clinical progress on the disease in spite of clearing beta-amyloid.
jcranmer 7y ago
I'll let Derek Lowe (of Things I Won't Work With/In the Pipeline fame) summarize it: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2019/03/21/a-brief-note-about-alzheimers https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2019/03/21/a-... > Something is wrong with the way we’re thinking about Alzheimer’s and amyloid, folks, something is wrong. It’s been wrong for a long time and that’s been clear for a long time. Do something else.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  From that summary it seems that amyloid may be an effect, not a cause, of Alzheimer's.