Benefits in Alzheimer’s Disease of Sensory and Multisensory Stimulation

Article type: Review Article

Authors: Yang, Hong^{a; b} | Luo, Yinpei^b | Hu, Qingrong^b | Tian, Xuelong^{b; *} | Wen, Huizhong^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology,Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China | [b] Chongqing Medical Electronics Engineering Technology Research Center, Laboratory of Neural Regulation and Rehabilitation Technology, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Mr. Xuelong Tian, College of Bioengineering, 174 Shazheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China. Tel.: +86 23 65103812; E-mail: xltian@cqu.edu.cn; Mr. Huizhong Wen, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Army Medical University, Gaotanyan, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China. Tel.: +86 23 68771379; E-mail: justzhong@sina.com.

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a serious neurodegenerative disease, which seriously affects the behavior, cognition, and memory of patients. Studies have shown that sensory stimulation can effectively improve the cognition and memory of AD patients, and its role in brain plasticity and neural regulation is initially revealed. This paper aims to review the effect of various sensory stimulation and multisensory stimulation for AD, and to explain the possible mechanism, so as to provide some new ideas for further research in this field. We searched the Web of Science and PubMed databases (from 2000 to October 27, 2020) for literature on the treatment of AD with sensory and multisensory stimulation, including music therapy, aromatherapy, rhythmic (e.g., visual or acoustic) stimulation, light therapy, multisensory stimulation, and virtual reality assisted therapy, then conducted a systematic analysis. Results show these sensory and multisensory stimulations can effectively ameliorate the pathology of AD, arouse memory, and improve cognition and behaviors. What’s more, it can cause brain nerve oscillation, enhance brain plasticity, and regulate regional cerebral blood flow. Sensory and multisensory stimulation are very promising therapeutic methods, and they play an important role in the improvement and treatment of AD, but their potential mechanism and stimulation parameters need to be explored and improved.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, music therapy, aromatherapy, rhythmic stimulation, light therapy, multisensory stimulation, virtual reality

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-201554

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 463-484, 2021