Problem-solving treatment improves cognitive ability in Alzheimer's patient

Scientists believe that a non-clinical treatment method could help to improve the cognitive ability of Alzheimer's patients.

Neuro AD has been developed by scientists in Israel and is featured in the January 2013 edition of the Harvard Health Letter.

It involves administering patients with a non-invasive electromagnetic pulse and then challenging them to attempt problems on a computer. These problems involve completing sentences and matching shapes.

Dr Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, led the study and said: "It doesn't cure the disease, but it does make the brain circuits work better and this leads to a striking improvement in cognitive abilities for day-to-day tasks."

He added that after Neuro AD treatment, patients in the trial were able to recall names of people they know and remember things they were told.

However, Dr Pascual-Leone admitted Neuro AD will not cure the disease alone but said he hopes it can be combined with other methods to effectively treat Alzheimer's.

Read more about Barchester's dementia care homes.