The brain undergoing neurodegeneration does not lose only memory. It also changes the way it processes sensory input, regulates stress and maintains orientation in reality. Multisensory stimulation helps support these functions - gently, steadily and through channels that remain preserved the longest: emotion, rhythm, light, touch and scent.


What Is Multisensory Stimulation

Multisensory work is the intentional engagement of multiple senses to support:

  • regulation of the nervous system

  • orientation in space and time

  • emotional stability

  • residual neuroplasticity

  • a sense of safety and bodily grounding

Simplicity and rhythm are essential. A brain affected by neurodegeneration responds better to slow, gentle and consistent input than to fast or chaotic change.


Why It Works in Dementias

  • Emotional systems remain active longer than cognitive ones - music, scent, the tone of a voice and light often evoke responses even in advanced stages of neurodegeneration. Emotional memory and the limbic system are preserved long after language begins to fade.
  • Sensory stimulation supports cerebral perfusion - gentle work with light, vibration and touch improves blood flow to regions responsible for alertness and attentional regulation.
  • Many difficulties are not psychological, but sensory - agitation, anxiety, sundowning or refusal of care often arise from overstimulation or understimulation. Multisensory regulation helps bring the nervous system back into balance.
  • Rituals stabilize the daily rhythm - repeated, simple cues (scent, light, sound, touch) help the brain orient and reduce chaotic states.


How Multisensory Stimulation Changes Everyday Life for People with Dementia

  • Support for orientation: morning light increases alertness; warm evening light calms the system. Subtle citrus scents support attention, floral notes promote ease.
  • Calming through the body: work with pressure, proprioception or a zero-gravity position helps regulate the nervous system when cognitive regulation is no longer available.
  • Activation of memories: Scents bypass language centers and activate emotional memory. This can restore contact, improve mood and strengthen the sense of identity.
  • Reducing agitation: a combination of light, slow music and simple tactile cues is often effective for evening restlessness, anxiety or disorientation.

 
How We Use Multisensory Stimulation in Light Brains

Our approach is based on gentle, non-intrusive neurostimulation, tailored to sensory tolerance and regulatory needs. 

We work with:

  • photobiomodulation (e.g., 40 Hz gamma for activation, alpha frequencies for calming)

  • hydrosols and subtle essential oils

  • proprioceptive and tactile regulation

  • sound and vibrational elements

  • a stable, low-load environment

The goal is not intensity, but coherence. A brain affected by neurodegeneration responds best to small, well-chosen inputs.


What It Brings to Caregivers

  • fewer emotional outbursts

  • calmer evenings

  • better cooperation during hygiene and daily routines

  • improved sleep

  • a stronger sense of connection and safety

Multisensory care becomes a way to communicate even when language gradually disappears.


When Care Becomes a Dialogue

When multisensory support is set correctly, it brings:

  • fewer emotional fluctuations

  • calmer evenings

  • easier collaboration in care

  • better sleep

  • a sense of security and closeness

Multisensory work becomes another language - the language of rhythm, touch and safety. Neurodegeneration does not change who a person is. It changes only the way the brain receives and organizes input. Multisensory stimulation respects this change and creates conditions for contact, calm and orientation even when words begin to fade. It is a return to what is most fundamental: presence that is felt, not explained.

 
Part of the Series: Multisensory Care and Neurodegeneration
→ Introduction: Multisensory Care and Neurodegeneration
→ Alzheimer’s Disease and Multisensory Stimulation
→ Frontotemporal Degeneration and Emotional Regulation
→ Parkinson’s Disease and the Rhythm of the Body
→ Vascular Neurodegeneration and Spatial Orientation
→ Multisensory Environments for the Ageing Brain

Recommended Reading
  1. Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A. et al. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. The Lancet Commission. → Overview of effective non-pharmacological interventions and supportive strategies in neurodegenerative care.
  2. van der Steen, J. T., Smaling, H. J. A., van der Wouden, J. C. (2018). Music-based therapeutic interventions for people with dementia. Cochrane Review. → Evidence for the positive impact of music on emotional stability and agitation.
  3. Jimenez-Ponce, F., et al. (2022). Sensory stimulation for older adults with dementia. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. → Research on the effects of light, scent and tactile stimulation on orientation, mood and quality of life.
  4. Figueiro, M. G., & Rea, M. S. (2010). Lack of short-wavelength light during the day leads to sleepiness and depression. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. → The role of daylight and circadian rhythm regulation in neurodegenerative conditions. 
  5. Cohen-Mansfield, J. (2001). The assessment of agitation in elderly persons. International Psychogeriatrics. → Explanation of the relationship between sensory dysregulation and agitation.

 

This text is part of the Light Brains series on multisensory care, neurodegeneration and nervous system regulation.

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