Results of a pilot study on treatment of Alzheimer’s disease using low doses of radiation

Abstract

In 2015, a patient with Alzheimer disease (AD) was treated with radiation to her brain using CT scans. Improvement in cognition, speech, movement, and appetite was observed. These were so momentous that she was discharged from hospice to a seniors home. Based on this case, a study was conducted on low doses of ionizing radiation (LDIR) in severe AD. Four patients were given three treatments. Qualitative changes in communication with relatives were observed; quantitative measures were administered. In three of them, the quantitative improvements were minor. However, the qualitative improvements in cognition and behaviour were remarkable. One showed no change. LDIR may be a promising, albeit controversial therapy for AD. Trials of patients with less severe AD, double-blind and placebo-controlled, should be carried out to determine the benefits of LDIR. Quantitative measures are needed that are sensitive to the changes induced by LDIR, such as biological markers of oxidative stress.