The helmet that could turn back the symptoms of Alzheimer's
By DAVID DERBYSHIRE - More by this author » Last updated at 10:47am on 25th January 2008


An experimental helmet which scientists say could reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease within weeks of being used is to be tried out on patients.

The strange-looking headgear - which has to be worn for ten minutes every day - bathes the brain with infra-red light and stimulates the growth of brain cells.

Its creators believe it could reverse the symptoms of dementia - such as memory loss and anxiety - after only four weeks.

Alzheimer's disease charities last night described the treatment as "potentially life- changing" - but stressed that the research was still at the very early stages.

Around 700,000 Britons have dementia, with around 500,000 suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

The helmet is the creation of Dr Gordon Dougal, a director of Virulite, a medical research company based in County Durham.

It follows a study at the University of Sunderland which found infra-red light can reverse memory loss in mice.

Dr Dougal claims that only ten minutes under the hat a day is enough to have an effect.

"Currently all you can do with dementia is to slow down the rate of decay - this new process will not only stop that rate of decay but partially reverse it," he said.

Low level infra-red red is thought to stimulate the growth of cells of all types of tissue and encourage their repair. It is able to penetrate the skin and even get through the skull.

"The implications of this research at Sunderland are enormous - so much so that in the future we could be able to affect and change the rate at which our bodies age," he said.

"We age because our cells lose the desire to regenerate and repair themselves. This ultimately results in cell death and decline of the organ functions - for the brain resulting in memory decay and deterioration in general intellectual performance.

"But what if there was a technology that told the cells to repair themselves and that technology was something as simple as a specific wavelength of light?"

The study at Sunderland found that exposing middle-aged mice to infrared light for six minutes a day for ten days improved their performance in a three-dimensional maze. In the human trials, due to start this summer, the scientists will use levels of infra-red that occur naturally in sunlight.

Neuroscientist Paul Chazot, who helped carry out the research, said: "The results are completely new - this has never been looked at before."

An Alzheimer's Society spokesman said: "A treatment that reverses the effects of dementia rather than just temporarily halting its symptoms could change the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people. We look forward to further research to determine whether this technique could help improve cognition in humans."

Light-based implants for treating Alzheimer's disease
Publication Date:
05/11/2006
Document Type and Number:
United States Patent 20060100679
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
An intracranial, light-emitting implant for providing therapy to a patient having Alzheimer's Disease.

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Light-emitting diode treatment reverses the effect of TTX on cytochrome oxidase in neurons.

Neurochemistry
Neuroreport. 12(14):3033-3037, October 8, 2001.
Wong-Riley, Margaret T. T. CA; Bai, Xuetao; Buchmann, Ellen 1; Whelan, Harry T. 1

Abstract:
Light close to and in the near-infrared range has documented benefits for promoting wound healing in human and animals. However, mechanisms of its action on cells are poorly understood. We hypothesized that light treatment with a light-emitting diode array at 670 nm (LED) is therapeutic in stimulating cellular events involving increases in cytochrome oxidase activity. LED was administered to cultured primary neurons whose voltage-dependent sodium channels were blocked by tetrodotoxin. The down-regulation of cytochrome oxidase activity by TTX was reverted to control levels by LED. LED alone also up-regulated enzyme activity. Thus, the results are consistent with our hypothesis that LED has a stimulating effect on cytochrome oxidase in neurons, even when they have been functionally silenced by TTX.

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Light treatment via implantable probes:

http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en&...ight+treatment
Helmet seems much better!

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Infrared Mineral Lamp: (a book)
FDA approved in 1988.

http://shop.toolsforhealing.com/FIM_...dp-upc-g01.htm

http://www.electronichealing.co.uk/a...mp_reviews.htm

http://www.healinglamp.com/howitworks.htm

I wonder if it works for the brain.

Read book here:

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&...OhreZZZDzmky68

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared

Far Infrared Therapy Inhibits Vascular Endothelial Inflammation via the Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1
Chih-Ching Lin ; Xiao-Ming Liu ; Kelly Peyton ; Hong Wang ; Wu-Chang Yang ; Shing-Jong Lin ; and William Durante

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2008
Published online before print January 17, 2008, doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.107.160085

Far infrared therapy inhibits inflammation.

http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/cont...A.107.160085v1

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Infrared light lies between the visible and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared light has a range of wavelengths, just like visible light has wavelengths that range from red light to violet. "Near infrared" light is closest in wavelength to visible light and "far infrared" is closer to the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The longer, far infrared wavelengths are about the size of a pin head and the shorter, near infrared ones are the size of cells, or are microscopic.

Far infrared waves are thermal. In other words, we experience this type of infrared radiation every day in the form of heat! The heat that we feel from sunlight, a fire, a radiator or a warm sidewalk is infrared. The temperature-sensitive nerve endings in our skin can detect the difference between inside body temperature and outside skin temperature

Infrared light is even used to heat food sometimes - special lamps that emit thermal infrared waves are often used in fast food restaurants!

Shorter, near infrared waves are not hot at all - in fact you cannot even feel them. These shorter wavelengths are the ones used by your TV's remote control.

http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imag.../infrared.html

http://www.sunlightsaunas.com/wi.htm...FQMsFQodS1A3Nw

Clinical Services Journal


Cold sore cure gives ray of light for Alzheimer’s
January 2008

Two doctors developing a light treatment to cure cold sores claim they have discovered clinical benefits when using the infrared technology on patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

Evidence is building that the cold sore virus may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease according to scientists at Manchester University. After infecting cultures of human brain cells with the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), researchers found there was a rise in beta amyloid protein, associated with the development of Alzheimer’s, while a similar increase was seen in the brains of mice infected with the virus.

In a separate experiment, the Manchester team stained brain slices taken from deceased Alzheimer’s patients and found DNA from the HSV-1 virus attached to the amyloid plaques. Previous research has already established that the virus is found in the brains of up to 70% of people with Alzheimer’s.

Now two doctors believe they may have discovered a treatment for cold sores, which could also prove beneficial in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s – using infrared light technology. In 1996, Gordon Dougal and James Haslam set out to research the infrared spectrum to explore the theory that there is a wavelength or narrow waveband of light that is responsible for therapeutic effects.

When the pair first initiated their research, infrared light was already recognised clinically as a treatment of musculo-skeletal disorders and indolent wounds but the evidence for its efficacy and the method of action was entirely anecdotal. Previous research employing random wavelengths of infrared light determined by the availability of predominantly laser light sources had explored various in-vitro laboratory effects. Although these works had not been correlated with clinical studies there was sufficient evidence to suggest that several immunological reactions could be influenced by infrared light.

HERPES VIRUS

For their studies, Gordon Dougal and James Haslam chose to investigate herpes labialis infection – i.e. cold sores caused by the herpes simplex 1 virus. “We chose this area because cold sores are a convenient way to examine the host response to a superficial, frequently recurrent viral infection. Affecting up to 80% of the population at some time in their life, they are relatively easy to document photographically and by patient feedback,” James Haslam explained. Gordon Dougal and James Haslam treated more than 400 volunteers over a three year period using different narrow wavebands of light determined by the commercial availability of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

The results from these studies allowed them to predict that an effective waveband was likely to be in the vicinity of 1050 nm. Unfortunately, there were no LED light sources available in this vicinity so they approached Durham University for their help. They asked the university to identify a chromophore, an absorbing pigment, in human skin within the vicinity of 1050 nm. The help was forthcoming but the answer to the question was a disappointing “no”.

Undeterred and in collaboration with the university, they looked at the light transmission spectrum of the water molecule. “Light at 1072 nm is selectively transmitted through water and is very close to our predicted therapeutic waveband,” James Haslam explained.

The next cold sore trial investigated this wavelength. A pilot study of treatment of herpes labialis with 1072 nm narrow waveband light was published in the journal of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology in 2001. This trial showed that a five minute treatment with a nonthermal quantity of 1072 nm light reduced cold sore healing time by half compared to aciclovir ointment applied five times daily.

IMPROVED CEREBRAL ACTIVITY

“It was becoming obvious to us that this wavelength of light was capable of various therapeutic effects, the most unusual of which was to enhance cerebral activity. Gordon observed that after irradiating his brain (5% of the light is transmitted through the skull) his mental agility was improved,” he commented.

With ethics committee approval, they commenced treatment of patients with dementia and although they recruited only a small cohort, they were able to observe an improved standard mini-mental score after six weeks of treatment lasting 20 minutes every second or third day. At the same time the volunteer’s carers observed an improvement with patients becoming more spontaneously sociable as treatment progressed.

“Whilst random trials using 1072 nm light were interesting it became obvious that in order for this new technology to be taken seriously it would be necessary for us to find a laboratory model which might confirm the photo-biological nature of 1072 nm light.

“Our endeavours were helped by Dr Chazot in the department of photobiology at Sunderland University where we undertook to sponsor postgraduate research. We were particularly keen to study the immune response to herpes simplex infection given the knowledge that this light has no direct effect on the virus and that cold healing is enhanced by 1072 nm light treatment,” James Haslam continued.

Probing the differential effects of infrared light sources IR1072 and IR880 on human lymphocytes, evidence of selective cytoprotection by IR1072 nm was published in the journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology (2005). This paper suggested that a non-thermal quantity of light afforded some protection to lymphocytes against a subsequent toxic threat, either chemical or UV, and perhaps more importantly measured a chemical change within the cell as a result of irradiation.

However, the two doctors set their sights further: “We knew from our unpublished work that there was potential for treating a variety of other conditions and felt that there was an opportunity to investigate more thoroughly the potential of this light beyond the humble cold sore,” said James Haslam.

ANTI-AGEING

“With the knowledge that 1072 nm light had been proven to be antagonistic to UV and had been demonstrated to increase cell longevity we wondered about the possibility of its application to photoageing of skin. Initially we treated ourselves with our laser diodes and were able to observe, after a period of six weeks or so, an improvement in the complexion of the skin with reduced fine lines and wrinkles. Subsequently Gordon designed a 1072 nm LED array which was put to the test in an ethics committee approved double blind clinical trial.

“The results of the self reported clinical trial showed that 70% of volunteers who received an active device were able to accurately identify a qualitative improvement in fine lines and wrinkles of the treated skin around the eyes,” he continued.

For the university research, the two doctors returned to the potential for 1072 nm light to treat dementia – this time using an animal model. The emotional responses and memory performance of mice in a 3-D maze, after infrared light treatment, were recorded and published in the Journal of Neuroscience (December 2007). Adult mice with significant deficits in a working memory test had these deficits reversed by the application of IR1072 for six minutes daily for 10 days. “Recent work at Manchester University has postulated a connection between Alzheimer’s disease and cold sores. It is probably a coincidence that we have a treatment for both. However, we are hopeful that our discovery of IR1072 as a therapeutic technology will also open up new horizons for treating a variety of conditions,” said James Haslam. Both Gordon Dougal and James Haslam acknowledge there is still a lot of research to be done but their findings, so far, offer scope for further investigation and the duo hope to commercialise a therapeutic technology for dementia in the future. They also see the potential for other applications, but add that this may be for others to pursue, in recognition of the limitations of their current resources and clinical expertise.

James Haslam concluded: “The possibility of enhancing local or systemic immunity is truly exciting and the possibility of treating infections such as viral meningitis or encephalitis cannot be ignored. We have a wealth of anecdotal evidence that this light is effective in the treatment of acne, rosacea, dry eyes, and shingles but for the time being we are having to concentrate on survival in a world where commercial viability is of paramount importance.”

Gordon Dougal and James Haslam
Dr Gordon Dougal and James Haslam FRCS, FRCOph, founded a company Virulite, in 1996, as a research vehicle to investigate the therapeutic potential of the near-infrared spectrum. Dr Dougal qualified in South Africa and also has an additional degree in electronic engineering. He is currently working in general practice in Peterlee. Mr Haslam qualified in Edinburgh and is currently working as a consultant ophthalmologist in Darlington.

Virulite is now recognised as a medical device manufacturer and distributor to ISO 13485 quality standards. Following the award of this certificate, they were able to pursue an application to the Prescription Pricing Division of the NHS for the Virulite cold sore machine to be available on Part IX of The Drug Tariff. This application was successful. From January 2008 the treatment will be available on prescription. Dr Dougal has now designed a dementia treatment helmet based on the technology.

For more information, visit: www.vcs.eu.com

Jaunary 24 2008

New research could help reverse the biological clock for dementia patients Lead researcher at the University of Sunderland Dr Abdel Ennaceur and Durham University’s Dr Paul Chazot are pictured with Dr Gordon Dougal and a prototype cognitive helmet
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Medical experts in the North-East of England believe they could have found the key to turning back the brain’s biological clock and reverse the effects of dementia and memory loss.

Pioneering research at the University of Sunderland has shown that regular exposure to safe low level infra-red light can improve learning performance and kick-start the cognitive function of the brain.

The results are a scientific breakthrough as to date medical treatments for dementia can only slow down brain deterioration and now human trials are to start to see if the treatment could provide a cure to illnesses like Alzheimers.

Independent research carried out at Sunderland has demonstrated that low power infra-red (1072nm) can improve the learning performance.

The low levels of infra-red light used are completely safe and occur naturally in sunlight. They are currently being used in innovative new machines for the treatment of cold sores, which have been approved for NHS prescription.

Experts claim that early stage dementia patients should see an improvement in their cognitive function within four weeks, by wearing a lightweight helmet in their home for just ten minutes a day.

Human testing of the ground-breaking infra-red treatment on the brain is due to start this summer and medical experts hope this will halt and even reverse the effects of dementia.

The new infra-red device was created by Dr Gordon Dougal, a director of Virulite – a medical research company based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham – which is also behind the innovative cold sore machine.

He came up with the idea of using a safe level of infra red light on the human brain after it had proved effective in the treatment of cold sores – a process that relies on boosting the cells within the body responsible for killing the virus, rather than attacking it.

Dr Dougal said: “The implications of this research at the University of Sunderland are enormous – so much so that in the future, we could be able to affect and change the rate at which our bodies age.

“As we get older, cells stop repairing themselves and we age because our cells lose the desire to regenerate and repair themselves. This ultimately results in cell death and decline of the organ functions, for the brain resulting in memory decay and deterioration in general intellectual performance.

“But what if there was a technology that told the cells to repair themselves and that technology was something as simple as a specific wavelength of light? Near infrared light penetrates human tissues relatively well, even penetrating the human skull, just as sunlight passes through frosted glass.”

Dr Dougal, who claims that ten minutes of exposure to the infrared light daily would have the desired effect on the brain, added: “Currently all you can do with dementia is to slow down the rate of decay – this new process will not only stop that rate of decay but partially reverse it.”

The research by University of Sunderland neuroscientist, Dr Abdel Ennaceur has led Dr Dougal to arrange clinical trials with patients with age related memory problems.”

Fellow neuroscientist Paul Chazot, who helped carry out the research, added: “The treatment can indeed improve learning ability. The results are completely new – this has never been looked at before.

“Dr Dougal’s treatment might have some potential in improving learning in a human situation by delivering infra red through the thinnest parts of the skull to get maximum access to the brain.”

Further research work will continue in this area, funded by CELS, who support Healthcare research and development in universities, hospitals and companies within the North East of England.

Reference URL
http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/caffairs/septhm.htm

I have tried to contact Dr. Gordon Dougal, but no luck yet.
Surely it must have occured to them to apply the approach to PD. Or surely someone who has bought the Virulite machine for cold sore treatment etc also is a PWP.
Fascinating, could it work by encouraging repair of the cells in the BBB? They do say IR can penetrate the skull.
The story was in my daily newspaper, and said the results so far are on mice but human trials are planned this summer.
One thing they don't reveal is whether the effects are temporary or permanent
Ron

Question....Does anyone know how we can get a patient with this disease to become a test patient of this helmet? My Dad is healthy except for the affects of this disease, is there anyone who may know how we can test this new helmet before its available to the public next year. We are willing to sign forms or what ever is necessary to beta test and become part of the clinical research team. Thank you, MJPickett

Well it would be a long line.

The way that clinical studies usually work is they test on animals. Once there is some agreement that the therapy is beneficial, they test on healthy human subjects for short periods of time.

Typically with drug tests, they would treat some human subjects with real drugs and several with placebos. Then they would test all the subjects to look for drug interactions and clearance rates. Clearance tests how fast the drug passes out of a healthy subject (usually liver or kidneys). Then several retests to see if the drug cleared, and no adverse results happened.

Now with the helmet, we're talking about a whole new protocol. I would guess that they would get healthy human subjects, and do brain scans to look for new growth. Remember that new growth isn't necessarily a good thing. Cancer is new growth, in fact uncontrolled growth of tissue. Many times when the body grows new tissue, the wrong kind of growth occurs. This is called metaplasia. Anyway, back to scans, one scan they can do is called a PET scan. This measures how much glucose is being used by the brain, a measure of brain activity. Remember that what the only definitive way to measure new neuron growth is dissection: something that no one can ethically do with human subjects.

With Parkinson's or Alzeheimer's or fill-in-the-blank, the scientists running the study would have to measure metabolites, look at brain activity, and run tests on function. Clearly with healthy subjects, you might not see any results. Their brains are already functioning well, and producing say dopamine in the substantia nigra.

The initial studies would only prove that the LED therapy wouldn't cause harm, even if it created more neurons. The definitive tests would have to test actual patients for improvement in motor function.

The whole point of putting the article up here, and coming up with hypothetical helmet schematics is that we want people to know about it, and realize that it may be years, maybe even a decade before they allow human trials. Science moves very slowly, and growing new neurons is not something we do lightly.

If you'd like to put your father in line for a clinical trial, chances are they would only pick him if the limits of his disease were minor. That's my humble opinion. Or if the effects of his Alzheimer's was diagnosed relatively early they might also pick him. Advanced cases probably wouldn't get in the clinical trials.

I encourage you to do everything that your doctors are telling you to do. I know you must be so frustrated by how little we know about Alzheimer's and many other brain type pathologies. We must be moral, ethical, and reasonable in how we gradually release new therapies. Glance through any drugs released over the last decade, and you'll see that many people were harmed by treatments. We have to be oh so careful to do no harm.

If you simply can't wait, some have suggested making a helmet yourself. If you look over the patent, we do know some critical information. You might be able to construct one simply enough and as long as you follow some general safety procedures, you might see some positive outcomes.

We do know that exposing the skin to certain wavelengths of light help people with rosacea, wound healing, cold sores (herpes simplex I), bone spus, etc. It's believed to help with the growth of healthy tissue. Looking over the patent, there seems to be evidence that the LED light at 1072 nanometers seems to grow new neurons in mice.

Several of us have combed the Internet looking for LEDs at this wavelength. They can purchased relatively inexpensively. What we don't know is the power rating of the LEDs. It is clear from the helmet pictures that a large cooling fan is used to reduce the heat output. My guess is that this is proprietary information. They simply don't want to release the exact specs to recapture their investment, and also to be responsible.

I'm not encouraging you to do so, but it would be theoretically possible to take an existing LED light therapy device, insert new LEDS at the right wavelength of 1070 nm, cover the device so the light is exposed to the right areas of the brain (and not exposing the eyes), and do the whole thing in darkness.

I pray for your father and yourself. It is terrible difficult to wait for new treatment options. Please be prudent in whatever you deicde to do.

Has anyone tried building one of these helmets? I would like to be involved in any effort to do so, if only to donate some money to the cause

Tom, I'm not building a helmet but a stand-alone light source that can be used to irradiate various parts of the head. It's a similar concept except easier to implement. Keep checking this blog for progress reports.