Why carry out this study?

A first pilot study investigating clinical effects of transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) showed a split functional effect pattern, namely improved cognition and language but worsened visuo-constructive capacities.

This study investigated whether the targeted areas during brain stimulation and functional brain changes could illuminate these contrasting effects.

What was learned from this study?

Brain functions related to non-stimulated brain areas declined despite general cognitive improvement after AD stimulation therapy.

The non-stimulated brain areas concerned visuo-constructive processing, which declined according to neuropsychological scores. This decline corresponded to reduced connectivity of the visuo-constructive network.

These results underline the functional specificity of TPS with respect to the chosen stimulation targets.