The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on January 5, provides the first non-human primate experimental evidence supporting the use of 40-Hz stimulation as a noninvasive physical therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), revealing significant differences between primate and rodent models.

Study design and key findings

Researchers led by Dr. Hu Xintian at KIZ, together with collaborators, conducted the study using nine aged rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) aged 26–31 years. These aged individuals developed widespread spontaneous amyloid plaques in their brains, effectively mimicking the Aβ pathological feature of human AD and making them an ideal translational research model.