✔ Takeaways:
Listening to 40 Hz sound frequencies may clear toxic proteins from the brain that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
Small studies have shown that women may benefit from sound stimulation more than men.
Research is early, but promising. With more evidence, sound stimulation could become a noninvasive therapy to treat dementia, cognitive decline, and other neurological conditions, offering hope for a healthier, longer cognitive lifespan.
🌊 🐦 🚗 Crashing waves, chittering birds, violins, beeping traffic, and construction zones… the sounds and acoustic rhythms of daily life can affect both how we feel and how healthy our brains age, influencing dementia, Alzheimer's disease risk, and longevity.
Alzheimer’s is dependent on other rhythms, too. Beyond failing memory, it can be a failure of certain brain rhythms to synchronize. Could sound be part of the remedy?
Certain frequencies may prevent the decline of brain synchronization 🧠 . According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), certain sounds can ‘flush out’ toxins linked to Alzheimer’s disease, potentially preserving our brain’s ability to function into old age.
Have you heard of 40 Hz stimulation as a way to slow Alzheimer’s progression?
🪄 The 40 Hz frequency
As we age, our brain's electrical rhythms (brain waves) 〰 can fall out of sync, Science Focus explains. This can impact thinking and memory and contribute to age-related cognitive decline.
Our brain waves fall into five major categories, and those with Alzheimer's disease have shown particularly weak synchronization of gamma waves. As the fastest brain waves, they are critical for thinking, intense focus, learning, and memory.
Imagine gamma waves as the captain of a synchronized swim team 🏊 . If the captain loses her rhythm, the entire team (in this case, the different brain regions) loses its synchronicity.
While most Alzheimer’s research targets toxic plaque buildup in brain cells, emerging research suggests that stimulating brain specific brain rhythms can support memory differently.
“Hypothetically, sound stimulation might resynchronize brain activity, […] restoring timing signals that instruct cleaning systems when and where to act,” explains Giuseppe Battaglia, from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, in Science Focus.
Researchers at Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences tested this theory in monkeys 🐒 with exciting results.
After one week of using a 40-hertz (Hz) sound treatment similar to GENUS (gamma entrainment using sensory stimuli), older monkeys showed signs that their brains were clearing Alzheimer’s-related plaque.
☠ Toxic flush: Researchers knew they were ‘flushing out’ toxins because more β-amyloid plaque, an Alzheimer's waste product, was moving away from the brain and into the cerebrospinal fluid.
✨ Even more promising... the brain kept clearing waste for five weeks after treatment ended.
💫 A decade of consistent discoveries
Nearly a decade of research tells a consistent story about 40 Hz frequencies and brain health.
🧠 Memory recall: In 2015, researchers found that a 30-minute session using 40 Hz improved memory recall, activating multiple brain regions associated with memory and processing information, including the frontal, temporal, and central areas.
☀ Immune optimization: Five years ago, an MIT study in mice showed that 40 Hz sound and light stimulation can enhance immune cells that clear toxic amyloid and tau proteins
〰 May slow brain atrophy: Preclinical studies suggest that consistent 40 Hz stimulation can slow brain atrophy, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. These benefits were not observed in patients who were treated with a placebo.
❓ A surprising edge?
More recently, MIT researchers published long-term results from a small, early-stage human trial using 40 Hz for later-stage Alzheimer's disease.
After two years, 60% of patients showed better cognitive performance compared to data from people who never received treatment. And they were all women 👩🦳 .
The sample size is too small to draw any conclusions, but the results raise questions about sex differences and hint at using it to protect brain health.
And with more research, sound therapy may have great implications for healthier aging and prevention.
🔉 What to listen to for brain health
So does this mean you join the millions of Spotify users listening to 40 Hz Binaural Beats every day?
Researchers caution that the beats might not have the same brain benefits as the technical equipment. There’s also no way to really measure if they prevent cognitive decline and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
However, the good news is that there are interventions you can do which have been shown to directly—or indirectly—protect your brain and slow cognitive decline. They may be simpler and more accessible, too.
🧘♀ Meditate: People who practice meditation every day have been shown to have more gamma activity.
🎷 Listen to music: Playing your favorite tunes continues to be an effective way to fire your brain, improve mood, reduce stress, and potentially reduce dementia risk.
🎶 Binaural beats: Small studies suggest that other frequency binaural beats could improve focus and how fast you process information. However, the science is still mixed.
Pink noise during sleep: Sleep is when the brain goes into repair mode. Listening to certain ambient sounds, including pink and white noise, may promote deep sleep that supports long-term brain function.
❗ The bottom line
Sound has strong potential in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease and appears to have fewer risks than current medications and treatment options.
Even five years ago, researchers were saying that sound can “really change the way Alzheimer's disease is treated," says MIT professor Li-Huei Tsai, in an interview with NPR. The newest research adds promising insight on the future of Alzheimer's care: the next breakthrough may be acoustic. 🎵 🎵🎵
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Dr. Vonda Wright and Dr. Stacy Sims on exercise for staying independent.
Dr. Sasha Hamdani on building mental fitness and resilience
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✉️ Ambassador call-out! We’re looking for ambassadors for the Livelong Women’s Health Summit. Head to https://livelongmedia.com/ambassadors to learn how you can get involved and make a difference.
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✨ Market booth and sponsorships: Meet your clients where they are at the Livelong Women’s Health Summit, April 17-18, San Francisco. See Media Kit.
Shibui: The Japanese Art of Finding the Beauty in Aging
This week’s episode is exclusively available on the Livelong podcast.
Poll response
We asked, you answered: When you hear “Eat real food,” what feels most confusing right now?
Answer: ALL OF IT! (47%)
The lack of clarity is wildly frustrating for many. One reader writes, “It’s hard to know what REAL is!!” and other readers just want to know what to pick up at a grocery store.
Moving toward a more universally agreed-upon ‘healthy diet for aging’ may require more science, funding, and congruence between researchers, decision makers, and health leaders—let me know when you figure out how to do that.
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The information provided about wellness and health is for general informational and educational purposes only. We are not licensed medical professionals, and the content here should not be considered medical advice. Talk to a doctor before trying any of these suggestions.
