Breakthrough Ultrasound Treatment for Alzheimer's Developed

The treatment uses noninvasive ultrasound to break apart neurotoxic amyloid plaques that cause cognitive decline and memory loss, and destroy brain synapses. The high-frequency oscillation of the ultrasound waves activates microglial cells that digest and remove the amyloid plaques that destroy the synapses. The treatment opens the blood-brain barrier for a number of hours, and activates mechanisms that clear clumps of toxic proteins, and restores memory.

The research was conducted using mice with an Alzheimer's model. The researchers plan to use the approach in higher animal models, and in human clinical trials two years later.

The technique was described in the March 2015 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Prof. Jürgen Götz, director of Queensland Brain Institute's Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, said, "With an aging population placing an increasing burden on the health system, an important factor is cost, and other potential drug treatments using antibodies will be expensive. In contrast, this method uses relatively inexpensive ultrasound and microbubble technology which is noninvasive and appears highly effective. We're also working on seeing whether this method clears toxic protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases other than Alzheimer's and whether this also restores executive functions, including decision-making and motor control."

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