Gamma-rhythm disruption and Alzheimer’s disease pathology

Disrupted gamma rhythms—oscillations in the brain’s neuronal circuits at around 20–50 Hz—are hallmarks of various neurological disorders and have been seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and specific mouse models of the disease. Li-Huei Tsai and colleagues show that gamma oscillations are also disrupted in the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, and find reduced gamma prior to plaque formation and cognitive decline. Remarkably, by training neurons to oscillate at gamma frequency (40 Hz) in multiple mouse models including APP/PS1 and wild-type mice, amyloid-β peptide levels could be reduced.