Electro Cellular Healthcare Solutions (ECHS) is trialling a wearable headband device to treat patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

ECHS, in collaboration with Hackensack University Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center, will test the lightweight headband on patients in a clinical trial. The device is a non-drug therapy which the company states is safe and easy to use.

How it works

The patients wear the headband for 15 minutes three times a day. It uses very low-power electrical fields to affect activity in the brain, less powerful than the field produced by a mobile phone meaning the patient will feel no sensation. There are no known side effects.

The electrotherapy was validated in a brain cell study at the University of New Mexico. The study showed the device significantly reduced inflammation by altering the levels of proteins, which many scientists believe play a role in AD. Similar devices are being used to effectively treat other disorders.

Founder of ECHS, Norton Herrick said: "I have invested in this technology since I first saw its potential in the 1990s. And I see even more potential today."

Principal investigator at Hackensack, Dr Manisha Parulekar, added: "This is a simple, safe intervention that could potentially help in slowing the progression of AD."

Eligibility

In total, 24 patients will be enrolled in the clinical study. Eligibility criteria state that patients must be between 50-85 years of age; be diagnosed with mild to moderate AD; and have a spouse, family member, friend, or caregiver who agrees and can oversee the patient’s participation in the study. The four-month study only requires in-person visits every 30 days.

ECHS, an affiliate of The Herrick Company, develops technologies that can enhance natural repair mechanisms, focusing on treating AD and cardiovascular disease. The ECHS team of engineers, designers, biophysicists, and scientists have at least 30 years of experience in the field.