From: "jeffrey E." <jeevacation@gmail.com>
To: Joi Ito <,
Subject: Re: Alzheimer's
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 14:43:28 +0000
Leave out brain map Paul Allen's area
On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 10:34 AM Joi Ito > wrote:
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Ed Boyden
Date: August 6, 2017 at 08:13:39 MDT
To: Joi Ito
Subject: Re: Alzheimer's
Reply-To:
Papers published so far that are relevant (we'll write up more this Fall):
I. Expansion mapping of brains:
Science, 2015 - initial discovery:
http://synthneuro.org/publications/publicationdetail/229/25
Nature Biotechnology, 2017 - optimization for human specimens:
http://synthneuro.org/publications/publicationdetail/270/25
2. 40Hz stim of Alzheimer's:
Nature, 2016 - initial discovery:
http://synthneuro.org/publications/publicationdetail/260/25
Cell, 2017 - how to noninvasively drive essentially any brain
region: http://synthneuro.org/publications/publicationdetail/265/25
Best,
Ed
On Sun, Aug 6, 2017 at 9:55 AM, Joi Ito > wrote:
Can you send me any papers that are published that I could share with Bill?
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 6, 2017, at 09:24, Joi Ito .1 I> wrote:
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Very cool. Thanks.
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 6, 2017, at 09:11, Ed Boyden > wrote:
Replies below:
On Sun, Aug 6, 2017 at 9:09 AM, Joichi Ito < > wrote:
So to the argument that the plaque is just a byproduct and not the cause of Alzheimer's - we say that
we're doing mapping to try to find the cause...
Yes, we'll map not just plaque, but also tau, changes in gene
expression -- everything we an!
but does removing the plaque or some other effect of the 40Hz stimulation show signs that it "helps"
Alzheimer's?
40 Hz seems to cause *many* changes, all at once -- not just cleanup
of plaque. We see,
-- improvements in tau phosphorylation;
-- improvements in behavior (unpublished, and not to be disseminated
beyond trusted folks);
-- improvements in the microglial cells that keep the brain healthy;
and other studies are in the works. This is one reason I am excited
about 40Hz: it seems to hit somewhere *upstream* of the amyloid, and
to help with multiple, independent, downstream effects.
Best,
Ed
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- Joi
On Aug 6, 2017, at 8:52 AM, Ed Boyden < > wrote:
Thoughts inline:
On Sun, Aug 6, 2017 at 7:19 AM, Joichi Ito < > wrote:
Hi Ed,
I'm going to be spending a few days with Bill Gates next week and I heard a rumor that he's
becoming interested in Alzheimer's research.
Very cool!
What are you doing these days.
Two things:
-- Nobody really knows what the earliest changes are, in Alzheimer's.
If we could map out the earliest changes, maybe we could halt
Alzheimer's fully. This is important because stopping Alzheimer's
after the damage has occurred means some functions is already lost.
We plan to use expansion microscopy to map out where the earliest
changes are, in Alzheimer's, building from our recent adaptation of
ExM to work in human tissues,
httplAvww.nature.corn/nbt/joumal/vaopincurrent/full/nbt.3892.html?
WT.feed_name—subjects_medical-research&foxtrotcallback=true
-- We are continuing to work with the labs of Li-Huei Tsai and Tod
Machover to define the molecular changes that occur during 40 Hz
sensory stimulation (Tsai), to optimize the protocols (Tsai, Boyden,
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Machover), and to design art and media optimal for cleaning up
Alzheimer's (Machover). In this way we hope to find a way to halt the
progression of Alzheimer's.
How is that spinout going?
Going well -- we just started human trials!
What is your hypothesis and how confident are you?
The hypothesis is that 40 Hz sensory stimulation will cause the immune
system of the brain to become active, and then to clean up the amyloid
plaques and tau changes in Alzheimer's. We are pretty confident:
three (!) mouse models of Alzheimer's all showed improvement. The
only worry I have is that we will not be able to hit every part of the
brain through sensory input -- in which case our backup plan is to use
TI stimulation.
Is there something easily readable about the work?
Alzheimer's 40Hz:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/20 16/1 2/07/led-technology-from-mit-used-startup-working-
alzheimer-treatment/Kbdjp9W v foPL fC 1 bNhvGOI/story.html
TI stimulation:
https://www.nytimes.com/201 7/06/0 1 /healthinew-eleetrical-brain-stimulation-technique-shows-
promise-in-mice.html
Best,
Ed
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Thanks!
- Joi
Ed Boyden, Ph. D.
Leader, Synthetic Neurobiology Group
Associate Professor, MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute,
Departments of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Co-Director, MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Building EIS: El 5-421, 20 Ames St., Cambridge, MA 02139 (mailing address)
Building 46: 46-2171C, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
email -
phone -
cell -
fax -
Google Hangout -
skype -
web - http://syntheticneurobiologyakrg
twitter -
EFTA01039000
Ed Boyden, Ph. D.
Leader, Synthetic Neurobiology Group
Associate Professor, MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute,
Departments of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Co-Director, MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Building E15: E 15-421, 20 Ames St., Cambridge, MA 02139 (mailing address)
Building 46: 46-2171C, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
email -
phone -
cell -
fax -
Google Hangout -
skype -
web - http://syntheticneurobiology.org
twitter -
Ed Boyden, Ph. D.
Leader, Synthetic Neurobiology Group
Associate Professor, MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute,
Departments of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Co-Director, MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Building EIS: E I 5-421, 20 Ames St., Cambridge, MA 02139 (mailing address)
Building 46: 46-2171C 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
email -
phone-
cell -
fax -
Google Han out -
skype -
web - http://syntheticneurobiology.org
twitter -
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