Cognito's Alzheimer's Treatment Headset Is Cleared for Large-scale Trials

Clinical-stage company Cognito Therapeutics reportedly secured a large-scale trial to treat Alzheimer's disease using a device instead of medicine.

Bloomberg reports that the aforementioned large-scale trial the company secured will involve around 500 participants from the United States. Cognito Therapeutics will announce further details about its plans later this week at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease conference in San Francisco.

Cognito Therapeutics' Wearable Set for Trial

In the said trial, participants will wear the headset for an hour each day for one year. The company's proprietary gamma sensory stimulation device will emit light and sound at 40Hz, frequencies a study proved to help improve the cognitive ability of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Following reports, the company will also present studies on the effects of its device on the deterioration of the brain's white matter, the interweaving neural connections that connect all four lobes. "We're quite optimistic," said Cognito CEO Brent Vaughan to the press.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. Although white matter atrophy is normal in aging, it is more prominent in Alzheimer's patients. White matter degradation, myelin loss, and oligodendrocyte damage in Alzheimer's patients imply that white matter may be a mechanistically essential target for the disease. Many proposed treatments have shown promise but have eventually been deemed insufficient.

Cognito's is non-intrusive and looks like a pair of wrap-around sunglasses. It operates through neuromodulation, which is the immediate change of nerve activity by external stimulation.

Cognito Therapeutics is a company that specializes in the development of disease-modifying digital therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Per their website, they are keen on advancing the science of neuromodulation to develop breakthrough therapies that improve the lives of people suffering from diseases like Alzheimer's.

Neuromodulation is a relatively young field of medical technology. The International Neuromodulation Society defines therapeutic neuromodulation as "the alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus, such as electrical stimulation or chemical agents, to specific neurological sites in the body.

Harvard Health tells us that similar to how a cardiac pacemaker corrects abnormal heartbeats, neuromodulation therapies help to re-establish normal function of the nervous system. Cognito is among a few companies that have advanced the industry; another known one is Neuralink.

More About Cognito and Early Trials

The Cambridge-based company's data tells us they have already worked with more than 50 million patients diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases. It is also worth noting that 58% of the company's clinical trial patients have experienced an improvement in memory functions after using devices developed by the company.

Early trials of the device also show that gamma sensory stimulation therapy can considerably reduce active periods during the night in mild to moderate Alzheimer's patients, according to a company-funded study.

Cognito's previous trials were promising enough for the FDA to grant the business breakthrough status, which means a shortened evaluation procedure. Regardless if the Cognito headset proves effective in this current study, it will not be widely available in 2024.