Infrared Helmet May Reverse Alzheimer's

July 22, 2008

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 8:53 AM

By: Sylvia Booth Hubbard

It may prove to be science fiction rather than science fact, but there's

anecdotal evidence that a helmet which beams infrared light into the brain

reverses dementia, at least temporarily. The helmet stopped memory loss in a man

who wore the device for ten minutes twice a day over a period of three weeks.

The man, Clyde Fennel, is a 57-year-old executive from the United States

who had been disabled to the point of not being able to perform even simple

tasks; now it's claimed he can hold conversations and answer the telephone. His

wife said, " He was fading away. It is as if he is back. His personality has

started to show again. Honestly, I can tell you that within ten days the

deterioration stopped. "

After four neurologists told Fennel they could do nothing to halt his

decline, he was flown to Britain where he became the first person to be treated

with the new helmet by Dr. Gordon Dougal, who is the inventor. The helmet, which

uses 700 light-emitting diodes to stimulate neurons in the brain, was developed

after a study at the University of Sunderland discovered infrared light can

reverse memory loss in mice. Human trials are due to start this summer.

A spokeswoman for the UK Alzheimer's Society said, " A treatment that

reverses the effects of dementia rather than just temporarily halting its

symptoms could change the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who live

with this devastating condition. "

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