The Rhythm Effect
Neuroscientists have recently discovered that brain rhythms supporting memory and cognition are disrupted in people with Alzheimer’s disease. There is growing evidence that stimulating these brain waves at the right frequencies can improve memory and cognition, and even decrease amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain.
Oscillo Biosciences has developed a digital therapeutic medical device based on this discovery—one that uses music in concert with synchronized light to restore brain function.
How Does it Work?
Our therapy works by combining music with a synchronized visual display to stimulate brain rhythms. The result is an activation of the whole brain, including memory, emotion, and reward centers.
Music engages the whole person. Unlike pharmaceuticals, music is natural, pleasant, and has no side effects. Neuroscience research shows that music stimulates brain rhythms at Delta, Theta, and Gamma frequencies.
Synchronized light reinforces brain rhythms. Patients can choose their favorite music, increasing their compliance with the protocol. Our patented technology determines in real time which neural frequencies to reinforce.
Music and synchronized light combine to produce a synergistic effect, potentially reaching parts of the brain that can’t be reached by sound or light alone. The experience is pleasant, in contrast to other forms of brain stimulation that use harsh sounds or direct transcranial stimulation.
Promising Benefits
Research to date on music-based interventions and gamma stimulation shows no negative side effects and a host of promising benefits.
The Science
Brain Rhythms and Early Signs
Neuroscience researchers have observed disruptions in rhythmic brain activity in patients with dementia. Disruptions in brain activity in the Gamma-frequency range have been observed prior to the onset of cognitive impairment, and prior to the formation of plaque deposits associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Music as Brain Stimulation
Neuroscientists have found that music activates and entrains brain rhythms, including rhythms in the Theta- and Gamma-frequency ranges. Music engages far more brain areas than simpler stimuli—areas that are well-preserved in Alzheimer’s. It naturally activates memory, emotion, and reward centers.
Gamma Rhythm Stimulation
Neuroscientists have also found that Gamma stimulation can produce changes in the brain at the molecular level, diminishing brain plaques, untangling neural networks, and improving the brain’s immune response.
These observations strongly suggest that if we can restore normal rhythmic activity throughout the brain, including rhythms in the Gamma band, we should be able to delay or even reverse the onset of dementia-related disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.
Music and Light
We know that we can stimulate brain rhythms auditorily (using sound) and visually (using light). At Oscillo Biosciences, we are marrying the power of music with a rhythmic visual experience to activate multiple areas of the brain at multiple frequencies, especially those involved in memory and cognition.
Know Your Brain Waves
Why Music?
Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand.
—”Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder
Music naturally stimulates brain rhythms and activates the whole brain, including emotion, memory, and reward centers. It stimulates the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. Because it’s pleasurable, patients are more likely to use the therapy consistently.
Memory for music is preserved in mild to moderate, and in some cases, severe forms of Alzheimer’s disease. Familiar music, in particular, is deeply rooted in our conscious and unconscious brains, giving it the ability to awaken memories.
The Oscillo Biosciences Difference
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Reaching the Person Inside
Beyond Alzheimer’s
In addition to exploring the potential to delay or halt the onset of multiple Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, we are looking into applications of rhythmic brain stimulation for disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, aphasia, dyslexia, and others.
