The Potential Therapeutic Effects of Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation in Alzheimer's Disease

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a loss of cognitive function which results in the interference of an individual's daily life and activities. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s is classified as a progressive, debilitating neurodegenerative disease that results in disturbances to a patient’s higher executive function, memory, language, and visuospatial orientation. Despite extensive research on Alzheimer’s dementia, including both available and potential therapeutic modalities, this neurodegenerative disease is incurable and will continue to pose a major public health concern. Current treatment options for Alzheimer’s focus on symptom management and/or delaying the progression of the disease. Therefore, new treatment strategies must be developed to combat such a deadly disease. One field of medicine that has garnered significant interest from researchers to potentially treat Alzheimer’s is low-dose ionizing radiation. Various reports suggest that the brain’s exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation may serve as a therapeutic modality for combating neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s dementia. This article serves as a review of the current available treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and discusses recent studies that provide evidence for the potential use of low-dose ionizing radiation as a therapeutic in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.