Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is progressive, neurodegenerative disease. It is most common in people ages 60-85, and the risk increases significantly as age increases.

Memory impairment is typically the first symptom of AD, while problems with thinking, decision-making, simple task execution, and motor movements increase as the disease progresses (1,2 ).

Symptoms of AD are caused by amyloid plaques and tau aggregates, which result in brain tissue inflammation, disrupted synapses, and nerve cell degeneration (3).

Recent research suggests that decreased oxygen levels in the brain (due to decreased blood flow) causes amyloid plaque formation and the associated brain tissue damage (4, 5).

Current AD treatments only target symptoms of AD and include cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists (6).

However these classes of medications can have many adverse side effects and do not treat the root cause of AD (7,8).

HBOT may have benefits for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) because it directly affects the underlying causes of AD while maintaining a low risk of potential side effects (9). HBOT significantly increases blood flow and oxygen concentration in the brain, which are two of the potential underlying causes of AD (10,11). In animal models of AD, HBOT has been shown to decrease the formation, size, and number of amyloid plaques as well as reduce the formation of tau aggregates (12).

In addition, HBOT decreases neuroinflammation, a main issue in AD (12,13). The effects of HBOT on blood flow, oxygen levels, amyloid plaques, and inflammation in the brain suggest its potential as a low-risk treatment for AD.

  • Decreased Inflammation

    Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces systemic inflammation by increasing anti-inflammatory gene expression and decreasing proinflammatory genes.

  • New Blood Vessel Formation

    Hyperbaric oxygen therapy stimulates the formation of new blood vessels, healing injured tissues that were unable to get nutrients and oxygen.

  • Increased Stem Cell Activity

    Hyperbaric oxygen therapy mobilizes stem progenitor cells (SPCs) from the bone marrow, creating the opportunity for tissue regeneration.

 

Learn from the Experts

 
 

  1.  “Alzheimers Disease” 2019. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350447.

  2. “Stages of Alzheimer’s.” Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. Accessed August 7, 2019. https://alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages.

  3. Selkoe, Dennis J, and John Hardy. “The Amyloid Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Disease at 25 Years.” EMBO Molecular Medicine 8, no. 6 (June 2016): 595–608. https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.201606210.

  4. Nishimura, Tsunehiko, et al. “Decreased Cerebral Blood Flow and Prognosis of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Multicenter HMPAO-SPECT Study.” Annals of Nuclear Medicine, vol. 21, no. 1, Jan. 2007, pp. 15–23. Springer Link, doi:10.1007/BF03033995.

  5. Zhang, Feng, et al. “Impacts of Acute Hypoxia on Alzheimer’s Disease-Like Pathologies in APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice and Their Wild Type Littermates.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol. 12, May 2018. PubMed Central, doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.00314.

  6. “How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Treated?” National Institute on Aging. Accessed August 8, 2019. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-alzheimers-disease-treated.

  7. Singh, Ravneet, and Nazia M. Sadiq. “Cholinesterase Inhibitors.” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 2020. PubMed, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544336/.

  8. Ali, Thibault B., et al. “Adverse Effects of Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Dementia, According to the Pharmacovigilance Databases of the United-States and Canada.” PLoS ONE, vol. 10, no. 12, Dec. 2015. PubMed Central, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144337.

  9. Heyboer, Marvin, et al. “Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Side Effects Defined and Quantified.” Advances in Wound Care, vol. 6, no. 6, June 2017, pp. 210–24. PubMed Central, doi:10.1089/wound.2016.0718.

  10. Tal, Sigal, et al. “Hyperbaric Oxygen May Induce Angiogenesis in Patients Suffering from Prolonged Post-Concussion Syndrome Due to Traumatic Brain Injury.” Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, vol. 33, no. 6, IOS Press, Jan. 2015, pp. 943–51. content.iospress.com, doi:10.3233/RNN-150585.

  11. Choudhury, Ryan. “Hypoxia and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: A Review.” International Journal of General Medicine, vol. Volume 11, Nov. 2018, pp. 431–42. ResearchGate, doi:10.2147/IJGM.S172460.

  12. Shapira, Ronit, Beka Solomon, Shai Efrati, Dan Frenkel, and Uri Ashery. “Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Ameliorates Pathophysiology of 3xTg-AD Mouse Model by Attenuating Neuroinflammation.” Neurobiology of Aging 62 (2018): 105–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.10.007.

  13. Thom, Stephen R. “Hyperbaric Oxygen – Its Mechanisms and Efficacy.” Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 127, no. Suppl 1, Jan. 2011, pp. 131S-141S. PubMed Central, doi:10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181fbe2bf.

  14. Harch PG, Fogarty EF. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Alzheimer’s dementia with positron emission tomography imaging: a case report. Med Gas Res. 2019;8(4):181–184. Published 2019 Jan 9. doi:10.4103/2045-9912.248271

  15. Shapira R, Efrati S, Ashery U. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a new treatment approach for Alzheimer’s disease. Neural Regen Res. 2018;13(5):817–818. doi:10.4103/1673-5374.232475

  16. Qiang, Li Lan, Xiong Su-qin, Yan Yu-fen, Li Dan, Yan Na-na, Chen Hong-ping, Liu You-ping, Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy and Safety of Hyperbaric Oxygen as Adjunctive Therapy for Vascular Dementia, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, VOLUME.11.2019 PAGES=86 DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2019.00086 ISSN=1663-4365