Approximately 50 million people worldwide live with Alzheimer’s or other related forms of dementia.  Alzheimer’s disease leads to memory loss and impairment in cognitive function and is the most common cause of dementia among older adults.  

While certain treatments can help reduce symptoms and sometimes reduce disease progression,  there is currently no way to prevent or cure Alzheimer’s. 

Using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), in which subjects breathe 100% oxygen in a special chamber of high atmospheric pressure, the researchers were able to reverse brain damages associated with the biological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. 

“After a series of hyperbaric treatments, elderly patients who were already suffering from memory loss showed an improvement of blood flow to the brain as well as a real improvement in cognitive performance,” said co-lead investigator Prof. Uri Ashery, Tel Aviv University. 

Hyperbaric treatment unequivocally improved characteristics commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically HBOT: 

• Improved memory in 16.5% of patients on average 
• Increased blood flow in 16%-23% of cases 
• Improved attention and concentration in 6% of patients
• Improved information processing speed in 10.3% of all cases