Is this the cure for Alzheimer’s?
The videos are astonishing. In one scene, a senior Chinese woman appears lost in the wilderness of dementia, unable to answer basic questions; in the next, she seems to be lucidly chatting and shucking beans for dinner. By all appearances, years of cognitive decline had been rapidly reversed after the patient underwent an experimental new […]
Recent videos show dramatic improvements in an elderly Chinese woman with Alzheimer's disease after undergoing an experimental surgery. However, the authenticity of these videos is questionable due to the prevalence of AI-generated content. The surgery involves connecting lymph nodes in the neck to veins near the brain in an attempt to drain harmful waste from the brain.
While this experimental procedure has shown promising results in small studies conducted in China, there have been no proper randomized trials to assess its safety and efficacy. The doctor who pioneered the surgery in China has been placed under arrest, and the Chinese government has put a stop to most physicians performing the operation.
Researchers in the US and Europe are now attempting to evaluate the procedure more rigorously. Dr. Adnan Siddiqui, a neurosurgeon at the University at Buffalo, is leading an initial US study of this procedure and is cautiously optimistic about its potential. He believes that if successful, this surgery could be the breakthrough Alzheimer's treatment the viral videos suggest, but more research is needed to determine its effectiveness.
Written by urgent.news from Vox's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
