There was an issue many years ago with regards to a certain episode of Pokemon on TV, in which the flashing lights shown in the show was reported to have caused seizures in some children. Basically this seemed to have imparted the idea that staring at flashing lights is probably not the best idea.
However over at MIT, it seems that they have discovered that flashing lights might not be such a bad thing after all. According to the researchers (via Engadget), they have found that the use of flashing LEDs can actually be used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. By causing the LEDs to flash at 40 hertz, they found that the mice they used to test it on actually saw a reduction in beta amyloid protein levels in their brain.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the protein, basically accumulation of the protein leads to the formation of plaques that interferes with normal brain function. Through the flickering lights, it stimulates gamma oscillation which is said to be a function that is impaired in those suffering from Alzheimer’s. However the question is while this seems to have worked on mice, will it work on actual humans?
Also it seems that for now it looks like this technique is more of a temporary reprieve as it was found that the effects only lasted for about 24 hours, so it’s not exactly a cure, but it does sound rather promising.