Transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) at AD/PD conference in Gothenburg
TPS to present a wealth of new research data at leading neurology congress
Starting on Tuesday 28 March 2023, top researchers in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease research from around 55 countries will participate in the prestigious AD/PD Conference 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden. The conference focuses on the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, which are becoming increasingly common due to the ageing global population. A wide range of experts will present and discuss their latest research, including the role of genetics and environmental factors in the development of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as the development of new therapies and the importance of early diagnosis.
In a press statement today, Henrik Zetterberg, professor of neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg, who together with Kaj Blennow, another professor at the University of Gothenburg, brought the prestigious congress to Sweden, said that all the leading scientists in the field will be present and some of them are even likely candidates for the Nobel Prize.
Renowned scientists from three countries present with new facts on TPS research
The congress will take place from 28 March to 1 April 2023 at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg, where Transcranial Pulse Stimulation (TPS) can present itself as one of the fastest expanding neurostimulation methods. Scientists from Germany, Switzerland and Spain will present numerous new research results on TPS at the conference, which represent a further step towards the evidence of neurological shock wave therapy.
While other scientists’ studies on transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) are currently also being published, the researchers in Gothenburg will present the following detailed data on their scientific work to the high-calibre audience:
TPS as a treatment option not only for mild and moderate Alzheimer’s dementia
One of the keynote speakers will be Prof. Lars Wojtecki, MD, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU). Prof. Lars Wojtecki, head physician of the Clinic for Neurology and Neurorehabilitation at the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist Kempen, academic teaching hospital of the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), had already investigated the effect of the ultra-short shock wave pulses of transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) in Alzheimer’s patients with various degrees of disease in pilot studies and documented them with EEG recordings, among other things.
Prof. Wojtecki and his team found that TPS can not only be used effectively for mild or moderate Alzheimer’s dementia, but that it can also play a future role in the treatment of advanced or severe Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the Düsseldorf researchers were able to show that TPS is well tolerated even in selective patients with mild vascular lesions and platelet aggregation inhibitors. Side effects are almost unknown, mild in nature, and transient.
The data presented in Gothenburg already include series of examinations of the subjects between 5 and 12 months after the last TPS use.
Presentation of the published application observation by Prof. Ulrich Sprick and Dr. Martin Köhne
Also brain researcher Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dipl.-Psych. Ulrich Sprick, among other things research group leader “Neuroplasticity” at the C. & O. Institute for Brain Research at the Heinrich Heine University (HHU), can provide the audience with significant research data on transcranial pulse stimulation together with research associate Dr. Martin Köhne: As known from his already published and highly regarded application monitoring work, Prof. Sprick’s data and surveys also show that TPS offers new perspectives in the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia.
In their studies, in which the brain maps of the test persons were followed with MRI scans before and after the TPS treatments, among other things, the researchers found significantly improved effects, which they were able to analyse not only with the MRI data but also with CERAD and Stroop tests: In the Stroop test, for example, the mean value decreased significantly (pre vs. post: p < 0.05 – paired T-text).
Prof. Sprick formulates his assessment of transcranial pulse stimulation and its future value as a possible standard treatment for Alzheimer’s dementia as follows: “With increasing patient numbers and increasing positive research results, I assume that the use of TPS will increase intensively in the coming years. I see this above all under the aspect of the good effect and the extremely low side effects, such as very occasional mild headaches, which disappear again after a short time. There are also drug antibodies that are currently in trials and that can achieve quite good results, but there the side effect burden is just very high.”
Data from Madrid/Spain – ongoing study shows significant improvements in Alzheimer’s
The team led by Ramiro Fernandez Castaňo and Karin Freitag from Madrid’s Clinica DKF has been researching transcranial pulse stimulation for two years. “In patients with significant cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease, treatment with TPS leads to significant improvements in areas such as attention, mood, orientation or fluency, which is a real success for medicine in general,” says study leader Karin Freitag, MD, in summary.
In Gothenburg, the Spanish researchers will present an interim report on their study, the evaluation of which will only be completed after all data have been collected 12 months after the last TPS treatment. The fact is here too: All subjects experienced a significant improvement with TPS so far, and no side effects could be detected in any of the study participants.
TPS in psychiatry: Swiss researchers present their results in poster presentation
Swiss psychiatrists Oliver Seemann, Bernd Krämer and Sebastian Hechinger have also been researching transcranial pulse stimulation for some time. They noted consistent improvements even 10 weeks after the last TPS treatment, such as the increase and retention of 21 to 25 points in the MMST (minimal mental status test). The Swiss’ study is also still ongoing.
Conclusion and outlook
Transcranial pulse stimulation, which has already been in the spotlight as a central topic of neurostimulation methods at various congresses and conferences around Alzheimer’s research in recent months, will also be of great importance in Gothenburg in the coming days.
The current dynamic and growing body of research on TPS and the consistently positive results make it clear that this innovative shock wave therapy can represent a significant expansion of the medical spectrum to effectively and specifically treat Alzheimer’s dementia symptomatically.