According to the latest reports, it seems that light and sound therapy could be a treatment for brain fog triggered by chemotherapy. Here are the latest details on the discovery.
Light and sound treatment
Cancer rates have been increasing and chemotherapy is an important treatment for this disease. However, a common side effect of chemotherapy is “chemo brain,” which causes mental confusion.
Fortunately, a new and easy method that involves using flickering lights and pulsing sounds may provide hope for the millions of people who are dealing with this problem.
“Chemo brain” is a condition where patients experience confusion, forgetfulness, inability to focus, and reduced mental clarity, collectively known as brain fog.
These symptoms significantly affect the quality of life of patients undergoing chemotherapy. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered that daily exposure to flashing lights and sounds at specific frequencies, which have previously been shown to improve Alzheimer’s symptoms, could also help reduce the adverse cognitive impacts of chemotherapy.
Gamma brain waves have a frequency range of 25 hertz to 80 hertz, and are responsible for higher-order cognitive functions such as attention and sensory processing, according to Li-Huei Tsai, the senior author of a study, who holds a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology and is the director of MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. She added that these waves are also necessary for quick information processing in the brain.
“Our lab found 40-hertz sensory stimulation not only improves cognitive function but also ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease pathology such as DNA damage in neurons, synaptic loss and inflammatory response of glial cells in the brain,” TaeHyun Kim, an MIT postdoctoral student and the study’s lead author, said.
According to past research, flashing lights at a frequency of 40 hertz, combined with sounds of the same pitch, could enhance gamma oscillations in the brain.
These oscillations are essential for various brain functions such as perception, movement, memory, and emotion. Additionally, this method could alleviate symptoms in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.
