kikippa, a TV speaker for listening to gamma waves

dancsfo

I saw on TV a"kikippa", device that modulates gamma waves, through a box that resembles a sound bar, and was used for cognitive care for elderly in Japan. [1] Gamma wave modulation is said to help with some elderly cognitive therapy. [2]. It takes audio (like from a TV), and alters it to include the 40Hz sound that is supposed be therapeutic.

Some sample music recordings to play are available in this article [3], along with some reference to claims that "Ongoing studies demonstrate that repeated exposure to 40Hz gamma waves can promote brain function by reducing white matter atrophy and myelin loss, which contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression"

While it is not sold as a medical device, it may fall into "it can't hurt" category, as long as it does not detract from other useful things, or brings false hopes. I found it interesting that it's used as a TV sound bar (even in group settings), as opposed to something that resembles a medical device that generates only the gamma wave sound, and would be annoying to listen for a long time.

While I don't think it's a breakthrough useful for all PWD, I found the Gamma Wave articles section on AD in Wikipedia of interest [4] so it may help with some people at earlier stages.

Anyone has experience with similar products sold in the US that uses light and sound? This product [5] seems to just generate the sound at 40 Hz, as opposed to modulating music or speech from a TV.

New York Times article from 2019 [6] states that it worked on mice but still under trial for people: "... Still, said Dr. Koroshetz (director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes), sensory treatment is likely to be safe for most people. “Can’t think of any harm that can come out of this one,” he said. And because Alzheimer’s is so devastating, he added: “I think people would participate in studies, even if they require flashing lights for an hour and listening to a very quick drummer"

Also see research from Cognito Therapeutics, an M.I.T. spin-off [7] referenced in the NYT article. One study is made available for free access by the Alzheimer's Association. [8] See the issue for other studies on gamma waves.

Note: I suppose I can just listen to music or tones with this wave, which I can find on YouTube [9] but there must be something more with a specialized device, such as properly calibrating it? Plus with the kikippa device, I can listen to music or TV, as opposed to a tone.

[1] https://pixiedusttech.com/news/news_20230418_02_en/ [English]

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6130417/

[3] https://www.lbbonline.com/news/accenture-pixie-dust-technologies-shionogi-and-shionogi-healthcare-create-gamma-wave-modulated-music-boosting-cognitive-care

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_wave

[5] https://gammalighttherapy.com/

[6] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/health/alzheimers-memory.html

[7] https://cognitotx.com/research

[8] https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/alz.054218

[9] https://youtu.be/aTZbhW2kg8M?si=ILbrlWezCvJlDM2l