Allegheny Health Network Physicians Join Groundbreaking International Clinical Trial Exploring Use of Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

Allegheny Health Network (AHN) physicians have joined a landmark clinical trial exploring the safety and efficacy of deep brain stimulation therapy to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Led by  Donald Whiting, MD, chair of AHN’s Neurosciences Institute, Chief Medical Officer for AHN, and a pioneer in the use of DBS to treat a variety of debilitating neurological conditions, the ADvance II Study is an international phase 3 clinical trial being offered only at select medical centers world-wide.

“We have known from our use of DBS for almost two decades to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s and essential tremor that the procedure is a safe and generally well-tolerated therapy,” said Dr. Whiting. More than 160,000 people worldwide have received DBS therapy for those conditions.

AHN is one of only 20 sites in the United States selected to participate in the ADvance II Study which is also being conducted in Canada and Germany.

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia. An estimated 6.2 million, or one in nine Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s; 72 percent are age 75 or older. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and in its late stages, the neurons in parts of the brain that enable a person to carry out basic bodily functions, such as walking and swallowing are affected. The disease is ultimately fatal and there is no known cure. 

DBS for Alzheimer’s involves the use of an implanted device similar to a heart pacemaker and two attached wires that deliver mild electrical pulses directly to an area of the brain called the fornix (DBS-f), which is associated with memory and learning.  The electrical stimulation is believed to activate the memory circuitry in the brain to sharpen its function.

The randomized, double-blind study will last four years for participants, each of whom will undergo a standardized Alzheimer’s assessment prior to having the neurostimulator implanted. The results of this physical, psychological, and cognitive evaluation will be used as a baseline measurement as they are regularly assessed for the rate of Alzheimer’s progression throughout the duration of the study.

Following implantation, two-thirds of the patients will be randomized to have their neurostimulator activated and one-third will have their device left off. Patients whose d