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The Effectiveness of REAC Technology in Managing Depression, Anxiety and Stress: Evidence from Studio DASS-42
Advanced treatments of Neurobiological Modulation REAC-NPO and REAC-NPPO in the management of anxiety, depression and stress.
A randomized cross-over trial evaluates the feasibility, safety, and motor effects of the REAC® NPO protocol in 60 patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer’s disease in its advanced stage leads to progressive impairment of motor functions – in particular gait and axial movements – so there are no specific treatments validated to date. In this context, the REAC® technology (Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyer) is proposed as a non-invasive, painless and safe approach, with a mechanism of action oriented towards the modulation of cortical activity and neural networks.
A randomized controlled clinical trial, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, evaluated the feasibility, safety and motor effects of the REAC® protocol of Neuro Postural Optimization (NPO) in a population of elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease, most of them with advanced dementia.
The trial was conducted at the Alzheimer's Center of the Reina Sofía Foundation in Madrid, with a unicentric, randomized, controlled, double-blind and cross-over design. 60 patients participated (average age 84.1 years; 86,7% women), from both residential and day centre facilities, diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria and predominantly moderate-severe GDS stage (GDS 6–7: 86,7% of participants).
Patients were randomized into two groups:
The treatment consisted of a single radio frequency pulse from 250 milliseconds to 10.5 GHz, applied via the REAC® probe in contact with a specific area of the earpiece, according to the NPO protocol. The sham procedure was identical in the mode of administration, but without energy delivery.
Motor assessments were carried out at seven time points: baseline (T1), immediately after treatment (T2), 7 days (T3) and 11 days (T4) after treatment; then, after the cross-over, immediately (T5), at 7 days (T6) and 11 days (T7). The instruments used included:
Safety surveillance covered the entire study period (35 days), monitoring falls, infections, emergency room access, hospitalisations and any clinically relevant events.
The NPO protocol proved to be easily administered and well accepted by almost all participants. The mean time to administration of treatment (or sham) was approximately six minutes per patient. Only one case requested the postponement to the next day for non-cooperation.
In the first phase of the trial, statistically significant results (p< 0.05 corrected for FDR) included:
In the second phase (post cross-over), the results did not consistently confirm the effects observed in the first phase, possibly due to non-specific learning effects or novelties introduced by pre-procedure exposure.
Overall, the safety profile was favourable. A total of seven falls occurred throughout the study period: one with harmful consequences (in a patient in the sham group, before receiving any active treatment) and you are non-harmful. There was no fall within seven days of NPO administration; A single fall occurred the following week in a patient who had received NPO. The urinary infections detected were in line with the baseline pre-treatment frequency.
The authors note that although efficacy results did not fully confirm data from the previous pilot trial — where immediate transient axial worsening and delayed gait improvement had been observed — the feasibility and safety of the NPO protocol was extended and confirmed in a larger and more fragile population.
The discrepancies with the pilot are attributed to possible differences in the characteristics of the sample (including “possible” as well as “likely” cases), a less pronounced floor effect for axial movements, and potential novelty effects that introduced variability in results. The authors themselves point out that the post-hoc analysis of the outcomes of the Steps×Seconds Test did not reach statistical significance.
Despite these limitations, the study highlights one important aspect: In advanced Alzheimer’s disease, where motor cortical structures and neural gait networks are relatively preserved compared to cognitive areas, a non-invasive modulatory approach such as REAC® NPO could act by reducing potential cortical hyperactivation, favouring more efficient neural recruitment.
The authors conclude by hoping for a trial with the more intensive protocol REAC® NPPO (Neuropsycho Physical Optimization), already safely administered in patients with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease, which had shown benefits on cognition, behavior and autonomy in the activities of daily life.
The REAC® technology (Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyer) is developed by the Rinaldi Fontani Institute in Florence and produces very short-duration radiofrequency pulses at specific frequencies (2.4 – 5.4 – 10.5 GHz), administered by means of a probe applied to the ear. The electromagnetic output of the device is comparable to that of a home Wi-Fi router, but with significantly less power. The underlying biological mechanism includes the modulation of cellular activity in neuro and biostimulation, also documented in stem cell models and regenerative research.
The NPO protocol, which is the subject of this study, has been validated in previous studies in healthy subjects — where it reduced cortical activation during motor tasks — and in populations with different neurological conditions, with benefits on balance and posture.
This randomized cross-over trial is one of the first controlled trials of REAC® technology in a population with advanced dementia. The data, although not conclusive in terms of effectiveness, confirm the safety and excellent acceptability of the method also in elderly and fragile patients. The total absence of falls in the first week post-treatment and the absence of device-related adverse events are clinically relevant.
For professionals working in the neurological, geriatric or rehabilitative field, REAC® technology offers a very low risk profile and a rapid and non-invasive mode of administration, characteristics that make it potentially integrable into multimodal protocols for the management of motor complications of Alzheimer's disease.
Bibliographic reference: Olazarán J, González B, Osa-Ruiz E, et al. Motor Effects of Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyer in Alzheimer’s Disease: Results from a Cross-Over Trial. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2014. doi:10.3233/JAD-140285
