text_1: Brain 'Pacemaker' Might Help Slow Alzheimer’s
text_2: This story reports on a “proof of concept” study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) to improve behavioral and cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients, which involves implanting an electrical pulse generator under the skin to alter brain activity. To its credit, the story cautions that this is not anywhere close to being a readily available treatment. However, it neglects significant potential harms of using an implantable device and isn’t completely clear on the lack of a proven benefit. We think this study was one of those that isn’t quite ready for a consumer news audience; it’s just too preliminary and has the potential to stoke false hope. Authors of this study point out that Alzheimer’s disease is not just a memory problem but rather presents a host of cognitive and behavioral impairments, and even “small treatment advances” could have a meaningful impact by delaying their progress. DBS has been widely used with patients with Parkinson’s disease and other conditions, they say, and research suggests the technique can improve cognitive, behavioral and functional impairments. Also, any treatments involving medical devices should include cautions about potential harms, as described in our toolkit on medical device safety.