TL;DR
Treating Alzheimer's today mostly means drugs, and the newest ones are antibodies aimed at the plaque that builds up in the brain. Sinaptica Therapeutics is testing something different: a magnetic coil placed on the head that sends pulses through the scalp into each patient's own memory network, aimed using that person's brain scans. In a small, year-long trial, the company reports, real stimulation slowed decline on the main dementia rating scale by 44% compared with a sham version. Now it says its pivotal trial, the large test meant to support approval, is getting under way and that it is "preparing to screen patients." If the result holds in a bigger group, people with Alzheimer's could one day have a treatment that is a session with a device rather than another drug. Our odds on when a device like this reaches patients, and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads there, are below the line; to read them, subscribe.
Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our labeled speculation on what it adds up to; and every source.