Viral videos show dramatic recovery

A Chinese woman appears to recover from dementia after experimental surgery, chatting lucidly and preparing dinner after years of cognitive decline. But no one is sure if the videos are real.

Chinese studies lack proper controls

Researchers in China have published papers reporting promising results from a procedure that connects lymph nodes to veins to drain brain waste. But these were small studies without control groups.

Pioneer surgeon reportedly arrested

The doctor who first pioneered the surgery in China has reportedly been placed under arrest. The Chinese government has sought to stop most physicians from performing any more of these operations.

US and Europe launch rigorous trials

A small group of researchers in the US and Europe are now endeavoring to find answers through proper randomized trials. Within the next few years, we should know if this surgery really works.

Siddiqui leads US study

Dr. Adnan Siddiqui, a neurosurgeon at the University at Buffalo, is leading an initial US-based study of this procedure. He previously helped develop a new treatment for severe stroke patients.

Timeline for answers

Siddiqui said in twenty twenty-seven, they will start getting clear signals in one direction or the other. By twenty twenty-eight and twenty twenty-nine, they would know whether this is real or not.

“In 2027, we'll start getting clear signals in one direction or the other. By 2028, 2029, we would know whether this is real or not.”

How the brain's drainage fails

According to scientists' best current theories, the brain's filtration system gets worse as we age. Plaque made up of amyloid proteins and tangles of tau proteins accumulate in the brain and lead to neurological damage.

Proteins accumulate in lymph nodes

Researchers have found evidence that amyloid and tau proteins accumulate not just in the brains but also in the lymph nodes in older people. This suggests a drainage problem.

Siddiqui investigates in South Korea

After hearing about the experimental work from China, Siddiqui went to South Korea to meet Dr. Joon Pio Hong, a plastic surgeon performing a more refined version of the same basic procedure.

FDA approves initial procedures

Siddiqui and colleagues applied to the US Food and Drug Administration and received approval late last year for five initial procedures.Over the summer, they got the green light to perform the procedure on fifteen patients.

How the surgery works

The procedure involves a small incision in the neck, allowing surgeons to connect lymph nodes to a vein.

Early feasibility study measures safety

The first round of US surgeries are part of an early feasibility study.Researchers are measuring patients' cognitive performance and other data points such as changes to their gait for any sign of benefit or harm.

Sham surgery needed for proof

If results are promising, a second feasibility study will involve about fifty patients. After that, scientists would introduce placebos, with some patients receiving sham surgeries that would not actually do anything.

Siddiqui has seen both outcomes

Siddiqui has been in this position before.There was the new stroke treatment that proved successful and became standard around the world.

Pomahac wants foundational research first

Dr.Bohdan Pomahac at Yale School of Medicine is overseeing studies to establish how these proteins pass through the lymphatic system.He wants to know if obstruction actually occurs in Alzheimer's patients and where blockages are.

Pomahac initially dismissed the idea

Pomahac saw Dr. Qingping Xie, the procedure-pioneering Chinese surgeon, speak at a plastic surgery conference years ago. Most people, including himself at the time, dismissed it as charlatan work because of the videos.

“I think most people, including myself at the time, dismissed it as, 'This is some sort of a charlatan.'”

Answers coming within years

Siddiqui said we are finally doing the kinds of rigorous studies that will give us some degree of confidence that there is something real here or not.

“We are finally doing the kinds of rigorous studies that will give us some degree of confidence that there's something real here or not.”