New study shows treatment can improve language skills in Alzheimer's patients

A group of researchers in Italy may have found encouraging results for people with Alzheimer's disease who might be losing their language skills, HealthDay.com reports.


The study found that a new non-invasive treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which fires magnetic pulses into the brain, has been shown to change brain activity.


Lead researcher Maria Cotelli told the news source that the findings "hold considerable promise, not only for advancing our understanding of brain plasticity mechanisms, but also for designing new rehabilitation strategies in patients with neurodegenerative disease."


According to the outlet, Cotelli and her team tried rTMS on patients with moderate Alzheimer's and tested their memory, executive fucntion and language at the beginning, middle and end of the the study.

At the end, the researchers found that the number of correct answers on a comprehension test taken by subjects increased from 66 percent to 77 percent after treatment.


While language was improved, the study offered little evidence that rTMS positively-affected memory. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, approximately 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease and almost half of people over the age of 85 suffer from the illness.


© Copyright