Method, apparatus and kit for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and impairments

Abstract

A method, apparatus and kit have been discovered which regenerate with the use of odorants the connections of the neurons of the brain and central nervous system in the treatment of such person afflicted neuro-disorders caused by disease or trauma.

Description

FIELD

Described herein is a method, apparatus and kit for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and impairments with the use of odorants.

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease and dementia are diseases which result in a progressive deterioration of neurons in the brain which causes cognitive deterioration and changes in behavior. With Alzheimer's disease, there is loss of short-term memory and minor forgetfulness which becomes greater as the illness progresses to major memory loss with a relative preservation of older memories. As the disease progresses even further, there is cognitive or intellectual impairment which extends to language degeneration (having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write), loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned purposeful movements, and a loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells.

Neurons are cells which transmit information via synapses. Neurons connect to each other to form neural networks. Neurons are electrically excitable cells which transmit information by electrical and chemical signaling by synapses which establish connections with other neuron cells. With the progression of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, the connectivity of the neurons are adversely affected, such as by the generation of plaque and abnormal proteins called tau proteins.

SUMMARY

The olfactory system beginning in the nose and ending in the cortex and central structures of the brain is the only part of the adult mammalian brain capable of stimulation and regeneration. A method, apparatus and kit have been discovered which regenerate the connections of the neurons of the brain and central nervous systems such that connectivity of the neurons is improved to effect improvement in memory loss, language degeneration, loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned purposeful movements, and a loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells. The method includes the delivery of a blend of olfactory enrichment odorants to and through the nose with the delivery of the odorants being under a positive pressure to affect air flow with the odorant at a room temperature (25 degrees C.) delivery rate of air containing odorant of from about 0.5 to about 2 liters per minute. Stimulation of the olfactory neurons in the nose by the odorant blend stimulate neurogeneis (new brain development) in the olfactory brain regions affected neuro-impairments caused by disease or trauma including a cognitive impairment which is a prodromal state in the development of dementia, traumatic brain injury affecting the olfactory regions of the brain, including the frontal lobe, post stroke brain damage involving the frontal lobe regions and olfactory cortices of the brain, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and chronic depression. The stimulation of neurogeneis effects a reversal of brain impairments caused by the latter diseases and injuries. In a very important aspect, stimulation of the olfactory neurons in the nose by the odorant blend stimulate neurogeneis in the olfactory brain regions affected by Alzheimer's and other types of dementia and reverse neuropathologies of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, namely hyperphoshorylation of neurofibrillary tangles and tau proteins. The blend of odorants includes a blend of a plurality of odors including citrus (orange), lemon, rosemary, cinnamon, banana oil, cumin, vanillin, ethylvanillin, garlic, paprika, curry, nutmeg, thyme, tarragon, celery, ginger, lavender, marjoram, basil leaves, cardamom, cloves, chocolate and anise at a positive pressure to affect air flow with the odorant delivery rate of from about 0.5 to about 2 liters per minute. In an important aspect, at least three of the odors should be used. And in a very important aspect, the odorants include a blend of citrus (orange), lemon, rosemary and cinnamon at a positive pressure to affect air flow with the odorant delivery rate of from about 0.5 to about 2 liters per minute. The odorants are dispersed in a media which permits them to be swept into the nose for intranasal application of the odorants. In an important aspect, the media is a pharmaceutically acceptable oil, such as mineral oil.

The odorants are in a concentration for each odorant in the range of from about 1 to about 6 weight percent and are driven through the nose to contact olfactory tissue and olfactory receptor neurons. The method brings odorants in contact to this tissue in constant flow or pressure, which is needed to stimulate regeneration (or birth) of olfactory sensory system, which in turn, stimulates the olfactory bulb and olfactory cortices to be active by the intranasal administration of a blend of odorants dispersed in a media, the odorant blend including at least two, preferrably three, of the odorants citrus (orange), lemon, rosemary, cinnamon, banana oil, cumin, vanillin, ethylvanillin, garlic, paprika, curry, nutmeg, thyme, tarragon, celery, ginger, lavender, marjoram, basil leaves, cardamom, cloves, chocolate and anise by pumping the blend as part of a flow of gas which includes oxygen and odorant blend. The flow created by a pump creates a positive pressure to create a flow of oxygen and odorant blend through the nose. The concentration of the blend, the ratio of odorants, the rate of flow of the blend and oxygen, a time of treatment, and the ratios of odorants in the blend effective for effecting an improved neuro-function of a person afflicted with the neurodegenerative disease or trauma. In an important aspect for a subject afflicted with a neurrodgenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease and/or dementia, the concentration of the odorant blend, the ratio of odorants, the rate of flow of the blend and oxygen, a time of treatment, and the ratios of odorants in the blend effective for effecting an improvement of at least 50%, preferably 100% and even more preferably 150% in short-term verbal memory of a person afflicted with the neurodegenerative disease, the improvement being measured by a California Verbal Learning Test, Adult, Version 2. The time of treatment is from about 12 hours daily for at least about two weeks, and preferably, for at least about one month. The method contemplates a treatment with a concentration of odorants at positive pressures for a time which effects new brain development (i.e. neuroplasticity) and reversal of pathological features of Alzheimer's disease or dementia in mammals.

The apparatus used to deliver the odorants includes a pump, an air filter, a flow meter, a check valve, an odorant chamber and a cannula configured to deliver the odorant to users afflicted with the neuro degeneration disease. The odorant chamber contains the blend of odorants which are pleasant, tolerable and effect enrichment to human memory after or during the deleterious effects of Alzheimer's disease and dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. The pump generates a current of filtered air directed into the odorant chamber through a tube with flow-directed valves. This flow is channeled through a user-controlled flow meter, on the outside of the device, for regulation of the rate of flow of odorant containing air/oxygen to the nose. The cannula directing the flow to the nose comes in different shapes and sizes, depending on the shape of a user's nose. The inside of human nose is enriched as the odorants exit the cannula and contact olfactory tissue.

In another aspect, a kit is provided where the kit which includes an apparatus which is configured for the administration of a blend of odorants. The apparatus in the kit comprises a pump; a line which is effective for supplying air to a vessel configured to contain a blend of odorants; a line from the vessel to a cannula configured for lodgment into the nose, the pump being configured to provide a positive pressure and a flow of gas into the cannula and nose at a rate of from about 0.5 to about 2 liters per minute; and at least one additional vessel which includes a second vessel containing a blend of odorants; and wherein the odorant blend in the second vessel includes citrus, lemon, rosemary and cinnamon. The kit is configured for administering the blend including pumping the blend as a part of a flow of gas which includes oxygen and odorant blend. The flow created by the pump creates a positive pressure to create a flow of oxygen and odorant blend through the nose. The concentration of the blend, the ratio of odorants, the rate of flow of the blend and oxygen, a time of treatment, and the ratios of odorants in the blend are effective for effecting an improvement of at least 50%, preferably 100% and even more preferably 150% in short-term verbal memory of a person afflicted with the neurodegenerative disease, the improvement being measured by a California Verbal Learning Test, Adult, Version 2. The kit also may include instructions as to the time of administration of the blend, such as 12 hours daily for one month.

FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the device used to practice the method described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra of the odorant of lemon.

FIG. 3 illustrates a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra of the odorant of sweet orange.

FIG. 4 illustrates a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra of the odorant of rosemary.

FIG. 5 illustrates a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra of the odorant of cinnamon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The apparatus includes cannula 2 having a conduit 4 into an odorant chamber 6 containing a blend of odorants 8. Pump 10 pumps air at a positive pressure through conduit 12 to filter 14 and flow meter 16 past check valve 18 into the odorant chamber 6. The air under positive pressure sweeps the odorants from the blend of odorants into conduit 4 and pushes the odorants through cannula 2 into the nose of the user.

In the important aspect, the blend of odorants includes sweet orange also called citrus sinensis. Bergamont orange also called citrus bergamia also can be used in lieu of sweet orange or blended with sweet orange. The blend further includes lemon oil also called citrus limon. As used herein, “citrus,” as opposed to “citrus limon” means sweet orange or bergamont orange. The odorant blend also includes Cinnamon oil also known as cinnamomum zeylanicum and rosemary oil also called rosmarinus officinalis. Odorants which are not from a botanical source such as cinnamonum zeylanicum, but are flavorings which mimic the botanical sourced odorant also may be used. The individual odorants range in concentration of from about 0.5 weight percent to about 6.0 weight percent in the odorant chamber 6 and are delivered at an air/odorant rate of from about 0.5 to about 2 liters per minute. The odorant are diluted in mineral oil to obtain the latter concentration range. The device is powered by electricity through a 9V adapter plugged to any electrical source, such as a wall outlet.

In an important aspect, the apparatus is portable to permit treatment over a day/evening. In this aspect, the pump is operated with DC current being supplied by a rechargeable battery. The apparatus has a housing to accommodate the battery and an outlet to effect recharging.

Tests involving a blend of sweet orange, bergamont orange, citrus limon, cinnamon and rosemary were conducted on volunteers with each odorant dispersed in mineral oil at a concentration of 3 weight percent at an air/odorant flow rate of 0.5 liters/minute. The subjects were subjected to application of the odorant blend at the aforedescribed positive pressure for two weeks at 12 hours per day. Tests of memory functions are shown in the table below:

	CVLT Recognition/Recall	Pre-OND	Post-OND
	Total Recognition Raw Score	12	16
	Recognition Z score	−2.5	0
	Total False Positives	10	0
	Total False Positives Z	3.5	−0.5
	Short Delay Free Recall	5	15
	Short Delay Free Recall Z	−3	1
	Short Delay Cued Recall	6	16
	Short Delay Cued Recall Z	−3	1

The result support increased recognition and markedly increased free by 200% and cued by 150% short-term memory recall in this volunteer following Olfactory Treatment Delivery System (OND treatment). Moreover, it was found that the treatment increased the sense of smell. Of two volunteers, one had a remarkable anosmia and was unable to identify the n-butanol odorant at the maximum concentration supplied in the olfact-combo olfactometer. After 4 weeks of OND, he identified up to the 6th dilution of the n-butanol (maximum is 9th dilution). Significant changes in the scores for odor identification, odor memory and odor discrimination were also observed for both volunteers.

Claims

1. A method for treating a human suffering from symptoms of dementia, the method comprising: intranasally administering to said human suffering from symptoms of dementia a blend of odorants dispersed in a pharmaceutically acceptable oil, wherein said blend of odorants are two or more odorants selected from the group consisting of citrus extract, rosemary extract, cinnamon extract, banana oil, cumin extract, vanillin extract, ethylvanillin extract, garlic extract, paprika extract, curry extract, nutmeg extract, thyme extract, tarragon extract, celery extract, ginger extract, lavender extract, marjoram extract, basil leaf extract, cardamom extract, clove extract, chocolate extract and anise extract, each of the blend of odorants dispersed in a pharmaceutically acceptable oil being present at an amount of about 0.5 wt. % to about 6 wt. %, the administering including pumping the blend of odorants as a part of a flow of gas which includes oxygen and the odorant blend, the flow created by a pump which creates a positive pressure to create a flow of oxygen and the odorant blend through the nose of the human at a rate of about 0.5 to about 2 liters per minute at 25° C., the concentration of the blend of odorants and the time of treatment of the human being therapeutically effective for an improvement of a neurofunction of the human afflicted with the symptoms of dementia by at least 50% in short-term verbal memory of the human suffering from symptoms of dementia, the improvement being measured by a California Verbal Learning Test, Adult, Version 2.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the blend of odorants includes at least three of the odorants.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the blend of odorants includes orange, lemon, rosemary and cinnamon.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the administration of the blend of odorants is for at least about two weeks for periods of from about 12 hours per day.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the administration of the blend of odorants is for at least one month.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable oil is mineral oil.