Regeneration Against Alzheimer’s Degeneration in Israel: Medicine or Miracle?

Alzheimer’s is a seemingly impenetrable disease which affects about 30 million people worldwide. Despite an array of medical therapies, the degenerative disease spells the beginning of the end for all patients.  Until now.

In Israel, a new electromagnetic stimulation system has been developed that in clinical trials has demonstrated the ability to reverse the degenerative effects and debilitating processes of Alzheimer’s disease to enable patients to recapture the cognitive skills lost or decayed from Alzheimer’s.

The technology known as NICE (Non-Invasive Cortical Enhancer) is installed within a compact device called NeuroAD to electromagnetically stimulate cognition in the physical regions of the brain where memory and learning take place.  The waves make the designated area of the brain receptive to cognitive training in cortical sectors where Alzheimer’s degenerative effects have taken hold to stimulate a reversal of the degenerative process.

Clinical studies have confirmed visible and substantial improvement after just a few weeks of treatment that is highly superior in comparison to improvements with pre-existing available Alzheimer’s drugs.  Further, the treatment is not exclusive; NeuroAD can be used with other drugs.

The improvement holds as well: trials revealed that even after a full year, subjects maintained improvement in general cognition, daily activity performance, and decision-making at levels comparable to the level of functionality the patient had a full two years before the NICE treatment.   That would be three years of cognition recovered in clinical trials.

The technology is based on the fundamental principle of the observed dynamic of Alzheimer’s cellular behavior: Allzheimer’s surrounds cortical regions of the brain, then moves from one cortex to the other.

NICE technology targets the regions of the patient's brain more responsible for loss of cognitive skills than others, so that the electromagnetic resonation stimulates those areas to minimize or nullify the effects of Alzheimer’s.  At the same time, in those same targetted areas, NeuroAD further re-stimulates memory and learning, the two cognitive skills most vulnerable to the degradation of Alzheimer’s.  

The treatment consists of a brain MRI which identifies the affected regions of the Alzheimer patient's brain.   This is followed up by five one-hour sessions per week for six weeks, accompanied by long-term maintenance and follow-up.  Painless as well as non-invasive, there is no limit on the amount of treatments, meaning that if and when the desired effects of NeuroAD on a patient begin to wear off, the treatment can be repeated with no imposition, danger or threat to the patient.

Dr. Jonathan Bentwich invented the treatment in 2008 after using the technology to successfully treat his mother, an Alzheimer’s patient.  He left the company in 2009, but the research continued at Neuronix through funding from private investors and the office of Israel’s Chief Scientist.

Made in Israel, the compact machine's price has yet to be determined; the goal is to make affordable to all patients, confirms CEO Yael Baror.

The NeuroAD system is designed for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease, and introduces two active technological impacts.

The first technology is called Focused Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which stimulates the areas of the brain responsible for memory and learning.  TMS induces the LTP process of Long-Term Potentiation.  LTP develops learning and memory processes to make the areas of the brain which they stimulate more receptive to Cognitive Training, the point at which the brain starts to recover or redevelop skills associated with cognitive strengths that are lost in Alzheimer’s.

The process of targeting specific areas for specific skills recovery in memory and learning to stimulate cognition that enables recovery from Alzheimer’s is called Tailored Cognitive Training.

The Neuronix company technology is unique in providing a platform for both these technologies to work at the same time to fixate memory reasoning and preserve it for longer periods.

Patients improve cognitive skills through repetition of certain strengthening tasks, which NeuroAD makes easier for the patient to use, the same way muscles are stimulated in a gym.  NeuroAD just supports workouts that take place in the parts of the brain responsible for cognition, daily activities and decision-making.  The second impact is revealed in the separate but related treatment process in which patients can also regain skills lost to Alzheimer’s.

The dual modalities of the NeuroAD treatment significantly modify the course of disease progression and reverse the effects.  The patented mechanism of the treatment allows for usage with existing medications to maximize the treatment options available to patients.  In trials, the improvements have proven to remain for at least six months after completing treatment with no side effects.    

The six week intensive treatment consists of the five daily one-hour sessions per week, involving the use of Focused Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to stimulate the brain and activate LTP mechanisms, accompanied by “tailored cognitive exercises” adapted to each patient’s demonstrated abilities. 

The post-treatment is also tailored to the patient’s individual needs, based on the assessment of the physician. 

Keeping in mind that this is a new treatment, imagine the impact if the technology continues to improve…

Just another miracle from the Holy Land.  Stay tuned. News From Jerusalem