A recent study looked at how certain brain waves, called high-frequency oscillations (HFOs), might help detect abnormal brain activity in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), especially those with epilepsy. Researchers used a brain-scanning technique to measure these waves in both epileptic and non-epileptic AD patients. They found that those with AD had more of these brain waves than healthy individuals.
Interestingly, those with AD but no epilepsy had even higher levels in certain brain areas compared to those with epilepsy. When AD patients with epilepsy took the medication levetiracetam, their brain wave activity decreased, suggesting the drug helped calm their brain activity. However, in non-epileptic AD patients, the medication unexpectedly increased these waves in some brain regions.
Overall, these findings suggest that HFOs could be a useful tool for detecting early brain hyperactivity in AD, especially when linked to epilepsy. Moreover, the study points to levetiracetam as a potential treatment, but likely only for AD patients who also have epileptic activity. All in all, the research highlights the complex connection between Alzheimer’s and epilepsy and suggests that identifying epilepsy early in AD patients could lead to better treatment options.
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