New UCLA research connected brain rhythm changes and seizures in Alzheimer's patients, making it a biomarker for predicting risk.
According to a release, the researchers “analyzed MEG and EEG recordings for high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) — fast bursts of rhythmic activity first discovered by Dr. Anatol Bragin at UCLA as markers of epilepsy.” This is the first time HFOs have been analyzed in neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's. Findings revealed that HFO rates are significantly higher (two to three times) in patients with Alzheimer's. Additionally, “MEG proved more effective than EEG at detecting these signals due to its superior signal-to-noise properties.”
HFO activity was more frequent on the right side in “Alzheimer’s patients with epileptic activity.” UCLA emphasized “HFOs that coincided with epileptic spikes were suppressed by the antiseizure medication levetiracetam, based on data from Vossel’s Phase 2a clinical trial.”
The findings are published in Brain Communications.
