Daily Light and Sound Stimulation to Improve Brain Functions in Alzheimer's Disease

In this trial, the safety and effect of daily exposure to light and sound stimulation on people with mild Alzheimer's Disease (AD) will be studied.

COVID-19 Amendment: Due to the ongoing suspension of all in-person humans subject research across MIT in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all enrolled participants who have not completed their 6-month visit will have their visit postponed to 9 months with a follow up at 18 months. Subjects who have completed their 6-month visit will still be instructed to continue and return at Month 12 for an evaluation.

OPTIONAL: If the subject would like to come in for an evaluation between Month 9 and 18, we will invite participants to come on Month 12 to complete cognitive testing and EEG.

After screening for eligibility, subjects will be randomized into one of two study groups in a 1:1 ratio. Each subject will use a non-invasive light and sound device, called the GENUS device, at home for 1 hour per day for 6 or 9 months. The GENUS device, which is composed of a panel with light-emitting diode (LED) illumination and speakers for auditory stimulation, delivers light and sound at different frequencies.

Subjects in the first group will use the device with active settings, and subjects in the second group will use the device with sham settings. After 6 or 9 months of the daily usage of the device, all subjects will be given an option to continue the daily usage for additional 6 or 9 months. For these additional 6 or 9 months, the device will be set to active settings for all subjects who choose to remain in the study.

Over the first 6 or 9 months, cognitive, mental health and memory evaluations will be performed at baseline, after 1 month, after 3 months, and after 6 or 9 months of daily usage of the device. Blood draws as well as hearing and vision tests will be performed at baseline and after 6 or 9 months of daily usage of the device. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) will also be performed at baseline, after 3 months, and after 6 or 9 months of daily usage of the device. For subjects who choose to continue the daily usage of the device for additional 6 or 9 months, MRI, EEG as well as cognitive, mental health and memory evaluations will be performed at the end of the 6 or 9 additional months of daily usage. One month after the completion of the daily usage, EEG as well as cognitive, mental health and memory evaluations will be performed (this will be 7 or 10 months after the start of the study for subjects who choose not to continue the daily usage of the device after the initial 6 or 9 months; this will be 13 or 19 months after the start of the study for subjects who choose to continue the daily usage of the device for additional 6 or 9 months after the initial 6 or 9 months).

Participants who complete the study protocol and finish the final study visit at Month 12 or 19 will be offered a long-term extension for a total of 36 months with yearly follow up evaluations.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Subject is between the ages of 50 - 100.
* Subject must have mild Alzheimer's disease with a Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) score of 19 -26.
* Subject is willing to sign informed consent document.
* If subject is deemed to not have capacity to sign the informed consent, he/she will need a legally authorized representative to provide surrogate consent.
* Subjects whose primary residence is within 2 hours of Boston
* Able to complete the 1st month of at home stimulation at their primary residence; if subjects plan to spend more than 1 week away from their primary residence during the trial, their inclusion must be assessed by the research team.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Subjects who do not have healthcare.
* Subjects who are being treated with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists (eg. Memantine).
* Subjects on medications that lower seizure threshold such as wellbutrin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, etc.
* Subjects with history of seizure or epilepsy within the past 24 months.
* Subjects with clinically significant suicide risk and/or suicide attempt in the past 12 months.
* Subjects with behavioral problems such as aggression/agitation/impulsivity that might interfere with their ability to comply with protocol.
* Active treatment with one or more anti-epileptic agent.
* Subjects who have had a stroke within the past 24 months.
* Subjects diagnosed with migraine headache.
* Active treatment with one or more psychiatric agent (e.g. antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc).
* Subjects who have an active implantable medical device including but not limited to implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), deep brain stimulator (DBS), cardiac pacemaker, and/or sacral nerve stimulator.
* Subjects who have profound hearing or visual impairment.
* Subjects who have a life expectancy of less than 24 months.
* Subjects who are pregnant.