Implantable Brain "Pacemaker" for Alzheimers disease

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in surgically implanted a pacemaker device into the brain of a patient who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.  This was the first time that this surgery has ever taken place in the United States.  The device, which provides deep brain stimulation and has been used in thousands of people with Parkinson's disease, is seen as a possible means of boosting memory and reversing cognitive decline.

This research focuses more on the use of low-voltage electrical charges that are delivered directly to the brain instead of drug therapies that have not worked too well in the past.  Patients who had that pacemaker implanted showed increase in glucose metabolism, which is an indicator of neuronal activity.  By using this therapy, the physicians are trying to enhance the function of the brain mechanically. This procedure is very common in patients with Parkinson’s disease.  More than 80,000 people have undergone this procedure in the past 15 years. 

The surgery involves drilling holes into the skull and then implanting wires on either side of the brain.  These wires are connected to the pathway that leads to the hippocampus.  The hippocampus is the main place of the brain where learning begins and memories are made.  These wires are attached to a stimulator that puts out small electrical pulses. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205102615.htm