Case Study - Cognitive Decline and Dementia - 69 Year Old Male

While this case is based on a real client, certain identifying details have been changed to protect privacy and ensure HIPAA compliance.

Synopsis

In August of 2025, the wife of this 69-year-old male reached out to see if the treatments we offer could benefit her husband. She had begun to notice a serious decline in his overall mental faculties, particularly in dealing with generalized cognitive tasks, planning, and irritability.

Like all of our clients, we always start with 2 different data collections. Passive EEG recordings in both the eyes open and closed condition. And two ERP (Event Related Potential) tests, measuring how the brain responds during a working task to visual and audio stimuli.

Initial Recordings / Data Aquisition

The initial qEEG pictured below showcased excess slow wave content (in the delta band) globally across his scalp. Additionally, he also displayed excess beta in his central cingulate, and a surprising lack of high beta in his parietal and left temporal lobe.

Areas of white are considered normative, as he is compared appropriately during this process against healthy males in his age range and ethnic background. Increasingly warmer colors indicate excess activity, while increasingly cooler colors represent under activity. Each band (Delta, Theta, Alpha, etc) is associated with different levels of neurological function in the brain.

Alongside the recordings, we also conduct an ERP recording as well. ERPs show us how quickly and accurately the brain responds when it's given something new to react to, in this case, visual cues.

The ERP table data below showcases just how far outside the norm he was in categories such as how often he clicked incorrectly between a go and no/go stimulus, his reaction time, and the variance (in time) between each click.

Areas to improve

For the sake of condensing this case study, I'll list some of the other findings in text format to support the findings of cognitive decline in this client.

• Reduced P300 amplitude

• Prolonged P300 latency in ERP and ERSP findings

• Prolonged N200 latency in ERP findings

• Disrupted gamma synchrony in ERSP findings

• Diffuse globalized slowing

• Reduced high beta activity in temporal regions

With these considerations made, an initial treatment plan was devised. 50 sessions, between 2 and 3 sessions a week of neuromodulation. The goal being to decrease excess slow wave content (delta), improve P300 amplitude and response, reduce latency across the board (improve reaction time) alongside monitoring agitation.

Post Session Data

During the 50 sessions, continual comparative analysis was done to monitor improvement as well as make adjustments. Below is an image comparing the power levels of his brain from his first treatment, to the last session.

We can see dramatic reduction in the severity of his delta content, as his brain is now starting to regulate its power levels more appropriately. We can see improvements in power across all bands.

Within our software, we use an AI profiler which ranks certain qEEG features from most to least prevalent, which then assess the likelihood of something like Alzheimer's, for example. While this isn't a diagnostic tool, it's useful for us in helping track progress of particular features we're expecting to improve.

The score below is his score from the initial assessment. Higher numbers indicate a heavier presence of features associated with alzheimer's.

Below is his score after completing 50 sessions.

After completing 50 sessions, we found the following had changed / improved.

• Improved P300 amplitude

• Prolonged P300 latency in ERP and ERSP findings still present

  • P300 latency is often the most treatment-resistant marker and that continued improvement is expected with ongoing sessions

• Improved N200 latency in ERP findings

• Improved gamma synchrony in ERSP findings

• Reductions in globalized slow content

• More regulated high beta activity in temporal regions

Conclusion and Methodology

For this client, who is a high-level academic, these improvements meant he was able to navigate scenarios much more easily. He would often lose his sense of direction, or struggle with basic cognitive tasks. His wife reported substantial improvement in his overall mood, likely as he was able to start performing more closely to his internal baseline.

The protocol used during this was what's known as a PAC (Phase Amplitude Coupling) tACS (Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation) protocol. This involved using 2 tDCS/tACS stimulation devices to direct low-voltage current to regions of the brain that need it most.

Phase-Amplitude Coupling (PAC) is about how different brain rhythms work together as a team. Think of the brain like an orchestra, where different sections play at different speeds, and for the music to sound right they need to stay in sync with one another. PAC measures how well the brain's slower rhythms are coordinating and guiding its faster rhythms. Which essentially is checking whether the orchestra is playing in harmony or falling out of sync.

For dementia specifically, research has shown that stimulating the brain at 40 Hz can help clear the toxic proteins that accumulate in the brain, restore network communication, and support the memory systems that dementia progressively dismantles. The PAC tACS protocol developed targeted regions around the temporal and hippocampal areas, with the goal of promoting microglial clearance of pathological proteins (such as amyloid and tau), and restoring aspects of neural network function.

If you're interested in learning more about this kind of treatment, please feel free to book a free consultation clarity call.

References

Goutagny, R., et al. (2013). Alterations in hippocampal network oscillations and theta-gamma coupling arise before Aβ overproduction in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37(12), 1896–1902.

Mably, A.J., & Bhatt, D.L. (2018). Gamma oscillations in cognitive disorders. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 52, 182–187.