STTR Phase I: SynchronyGamma – A Music-Based Intervention for Alzheimer’s and MCI

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to address age-related cognitive impairments. Neurodegenerative disorders are a rapidly growing public-health concern, with Alzheimer’s disease alone projected to affect 13.8 million Americans by 2050. Alzheimer’s disease patients undergo gradual cognitive decline and during this progression, patients experience multiple pain points, including memory loss, executive function deficits, and depression. Early intervention in the mild impairment stage may assist in delaying cognitive decline. While pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer’s disease have primarily targeted biological markers such as amyloid-Beta plaques, these strategies have shown limited success in improving outcomes. The proposed device consists of a novel therapy for cognitive impairment conditions through a device that stimulates the brain via music and lights. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will result in a digital-health device that non-invasively drives Gamma-frequency neural activity in the brain to improve memory and cognition in aging individuals suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The digital-health device is based on neural network technology that models the dynamics of rhythmic brain activity. In clinical populations who have disruptions in brain rhythms, i.e., patients with Alzheimer’s disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment, we hypothesize that these technologies can help restore normal brain activity important for memory and cognition. This project will: 1) optimize the technology by integrating multiple Gamma-frequency parameters into a flexible neural network model for musical beat detection, and 2) determine how the device impacts neural activity and cognitive abilities in aging adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.