Effects of 40 Hz light flicker stimulation on hippocampal-prefrontal neural activity characteristics during working memory tasks in Alzheimer’s disease model rats_Journal of Biomedical Engineering

Authors：

LIU Suhong ^1,2,3 , WANG Longlong ^2,3 ,  LI Shuangyan ^1,2,3 , XU Guizhi ^1,2,3

1. School of Health Science and Biomedical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, P. R. China;
2. Hebei Key Laboratory of Bioelectromagnetic and Neural Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, P. R. China;
3. The State Key Laboratory of Reliability and Intelligence of Electrical Equipment, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, P. R. China;

Corresponding?author：

LI Shuangyan, Email: yujichj@163.com

Keywords：

40 Hz light flicker; Alzheimer’s disease; Neural electrical activity characteristics; Working memory; Hippocampus; Prefrontal lobe

DOI：

10.7507/1001-5515.202503009

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40 Hz light flicker stimulation is deemed to hold considerable promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, whether its long-term effect can improve working memory and its related mechanisms remains to be further explored. In this study, 21 adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into the AD light-stimulation group, the AD group and the control group. AD models were established in the first two of these groups, with the light-stimulation group receiving long-term 40 Hz light flicker stimulation. Working memory performance across groups was subsequently evaluated using the T-maze task. To investigate the potential neural mechanisms underlying the effects of 40 Hz light stimulation on working memory, we examined changes in neuronal excitability within the hippocampus (HPC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), as well as alterations in inter-regional synchronization of neural activity. The findings demonstrated that prolonged 40 Hz light stimulation significantly improved working memory performance in AD model rats. Furthermore, the intervention enhanced the synchronization of neural activity between the hippocampus (HPC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), as well as the efficiency of information transfer, primarily mediated by theta and low-frequency gamma oscillations. This study provides theoretical support for exploring the mechanisms of 40 Hz light flicker stimulation and its further clinical application in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Citation： LIU Suhong, WANG Longlong, LI Shuangyan, XU Guizhi. Effects of 40 Hz light flicker stimulation on hippocampal-prefrontal neural activity characteristics during working memory tasks in Alzheimer’s disease model rats. Journal of Biomedical Engineering, 2025, 42(6): 1107-1114. doi: 10.7507/1001-5515.202503009 Copy

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Journal of Biomedical Engineering

Effects of 40 Hz light flicker stimulation on hippocampal-prefrontal neural activity characteristics during working memory tasks in Alzheimer’s disease model rats

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