Brain pacemakers show promise in Alzheimer's trials, might open new treatment possibilities

Deep-brain electrical stimulation has been around for awhile -- rousing folks from comas and helping researchers find new ways to treat OCD, depression and maybe even obesity. Now doctors are testing the so-called "brain pacemakers," on Alzheimer's patients and the results are promising, but not conclusive. After a year of treatment, six patients showed higher glucose consumption in PET scans of the learning and memory areas of the brain -- a change that is associated with increased neuron activ...