Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) has shown to have promising results in a pilot study with patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD). A recent study in aged monkeys shows a novel intermittent stimulation pattern to have superior cognitive benefits over continuous paradigms. Objective/Hypothesis: We aimed at comparing the cognitive effects elicited by intermittent and continuous NBM stimulation paradigms in an animal model for AD (TgF344-AD rat line; TG), i.e. rats expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APPsw) and presenilin 1 (PS1ΔE9) genes, each independent causes of early-onset familial AD. Methods: In this exploratory study, aged APP/PS1 rats were tested pre-, and post implantation with several stimulation parameters, i.e. unilateral- or bilateral-intermittent, and bilateral-continuous, while performing various behavioral tasks (open field, novel object recognition, and modified Barnes maze). Results and Conclusion: Bilateral-intermittent NBM DBS allowed aged TG rats to perform better and maintain their performance longer in a spatial memory task, as compared to other conditions. These data support the notion that NBM DBS could be further refined in the clinic, thereby improving patient care.

Cognitive Improvements after Intermittent Deep Brain Stimulation of the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert in a Transgenic Rat Model for Alzheimer's Disease: a Preliminary Approach