Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42506367›Full record

ReviewMedical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Gamma Oscillations, Sensory Stimulation, and Glymphatic Function: Toward User-Friendly Auditory Interventions for Brain Health in Aging and Neurodegeneration.

Peter Wostyn, Piet Goddaer

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Peter WostynDepartment of Psychiatry, PC Sint-Amandus, Reigerlostraat 10, 8730 Beernem, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-7726-9751
Piet GoddaerStudio Ozark Henry, 8670 Wulpen, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The glymphatic system is a brain-wide clearance pathway that facilitates the removal of interstitial solutes, including amyloid-β, and plays a critical role in maintaining brain homeostasis. Impairments in glymphatic transport have been implicated in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. While glymphatic activity is most pronounced during sleep, emerging evidence suggests that specific patterns of neural activity, including gamma-frequency oscillations entrained by sensory stimulation, can modulate glymphatic transport even during wakefulness. Preclinical studies further indicate that 40 Hz sensory stimulation, delivered via light, sound, or multisensory paradigms, can induce gamma oscillations, reduce pathological protein accumulation, and enhance cognitive performance in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Early clinical investigations similarly suggest that gamma-frequency sensory stimulation may improve blood-based biomarkers, neuroimaging measures, and cognitive outcomes in patients with Alzheimer's disease. To translate gamma-frequency stimulation into broadly applicable preventive or therapeutic strategies, approaches must be both effective and tolerable for long-term use. Conventional auditory gamma stimulation can be perceived as acoustically rough or monotonous, reducing listener comfort and limiting acceptability for prolonged use in broader populations. User-friendly auditory formats, such as "gamma music" and the more recently introduced "immersive gamma music", have been proposed as potentially useful approaches for delivering gamma-frequency stimulation while improving listening comfort and facilitating sustained use. Collectively, gamma-frequency sensory stimulation represents a promising approach to support healthy brain aging and mitigate neurodegenerative processes, particularly when implemented via user-friendly auditory formats that facilitate repeated and long-term use. While these findings are encouraging, further research is needed to validate these approaches and determine their clinical relevance.

Indexed as

Acoustic StimulationAgingBrainGamma RhythmGlymphatic SystemNeurodegenerative DiseasesAlzheimer DiseaseAnimalsHumans40 Hz auditory stimulationAlzheimer’s diseaseglymphatic systemimmersive gamma musicneurodegenerative diseases

Identifiers

PMID42506367
PMCPMC13413430

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.