TPS for Alzheimer’s & Dementia

TPS (transcranial pulse stimulation) uses very short, focused ultrasound pressure pulses that reach through the skull into defined brain regions. Unlike magnetic or current methods, TPS acts mechanically through pressure waves and can therefore reach deeper-lying areas more precisely. The aim is to stimulate the body’s own regeneration and perfusion processes in the tissue (neuroplasticity). For the detail, read How does TPS work?

An important difference from many other neuromodulation applications: for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, TPS is CE-approved in Europe. This means the procedure is regulatorily recognised for precisely this indication. Within this approval we rate the evidence as solid. In other areas TPS is used off-label, which we then discuss transparently case by case.

In Alzheimer’s, cognitive functions such as memory, orientation and language decline over years; memory structures such as the hippocampus and widely branched brain networks are particularly affected. TPS aims to support the activity and connectivity of relevant regions. TPS is not a cure and does not stop the disease; within a program it is one building block aimed at function and quality of life.

A TPS session is outpatient and without anaesthesia. Via a handheld applicator, navigated using individual imaging, short pulses are delivered to the target regions. A session typically lasts around 30 minutes; a course comprises several sessions over a few weeks, often with refreshers. You feel a light tapping on the scalp. Before starting, a physician in our program brings the diagnostic levels together and checks whether TPS is sensible and safe for you.

For TPS in Alzheimer’s there are first clinical studies suggesting improvements in cognitive domains; the research is active and growing. We rate the evidence in this CE-approved indication as solid. Real, linked studies are available at Science & Studies. How strongly someone responds shows in the course; that is why we record cognitive functions before and after.