Cognitive tasks propagate the neural entrainment in response to a visual 40 Hz stimulation in humans

IntroductionAlzheimer's disease is one of the great challenges in the coming decades, and despite great efforts, a widely effective disease-modifying therapy in humans remains elusive. One particular promising non-pharmacological therapy that has received increased attention in recent years is based on the Gamma ENtrainment Using Sensory stimulation (GENUS), a high-frequency neural response elicited by a visual and/or auditory stimulus at 40 Hz. While this has shown to be effective in animal models, studies on human participants have reported varying success. The current work hypothesizes that the varying success in humans is due to differences in cognitive workload during the GENUS sessions. MethodsWe recruited a cohort of 15 participants who underwent a scalp-EEG recording as well as one epilepsy patient who was implanted with 50 subdural surface electrodes over temporo-occipital and temporo-basal cortex and 14 depth contacts that targeted the hippocampus and insula. All participants completed several GENUS sessions, in each of which a different cognitive task was performed. ResultsWe found that the inclusion of a cognitive task during the GENUS session not only has a positive effect on the strength and extent of the gamma entrainment, but also promotes the propagation of gamma entrainment to additional neural areas including deep ones such as hippocampus which were not recruited when no cognitive task was required from the participants. The latter is of particular interest given that the hippocampal complex is considered to be one of the primary targets for AD therapies. DiscussionThis work introduces a possible improvement strategy for GENUS therapy that might contribute to increasing the efficacy of the therapy or shortening the time needed for the positive outcome

ApoE facilitates the microglial response to amyloid plaque pathology

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimers disease is the presence of extracellular diffuse and fibrillar plaques predominantly consisting of the amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) influences the deposition of amyloid pathology through affecting the clearance and aggregation of monomeric A beta in the brain. In addition to influencing A beta metabolism, increasing evidence suggests that apoE influences microglial function in neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we characterize the impact that apoE has on amyloid pathology and the innate immune response in APPPS1 Delta E9 and APPPS1-21 transgenic mice. We report that Apoe deficiency reduced fibrillar plaque deposition, consistent with previous studies. However, fibrillar plaques in Apoe-deficient mice exhibited a striking reduction in plaque compaction. Hyperspectral fluorescent imaging using luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes identified distinct A beta morphotypes in Apoe-deficient mice. We also observed a significant reduction in fibrillar plaque-associated microgliosis and activated microglial gene expression in Apoe-deficient mice, along with significant increases in dystrophic neurites around fibrillar plaques. Our results suggest that apoE is critical in stimulating the innate immune response to amyloid pathology.Funding Agencies|National Institutes of Health (NIH) [AG047644]; JPB Foundation; Cure Alzheimers Fund; NIH [RF1AG05148501, 5-T32CA009547-30]; New Vision Award through the Donors Cure Foundation [CCAD201703]; Lilly Innovation Fellowship from Eli Lilly and Company</p