Ultrasound Triggers Brain's Waste Disposal System in Alzheimer's Patients

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Ultrasound triggers brain's waste disposal system in Alzheimer's patients:

Using ultrasound as a way of treating Alzheimer's is starting to gain some traction on the back of promising research in rodents. Much of this centers on how targeted ultrasound can open the blood brain barrier to enable the passage of drugs to destroy the buildup of amyloid plaques, which are associated with the progression of the disease.

In this new study, carried out at West Virginia University, scientists dove a little deeper into the physiological effects of opening the blood brain barrier. The experiments involved three volunteers with early-stage Alzheimer's aged 61, 72 and 73, who received ultrasound treatment targeting the hippocampus, the region associated with learning and memory capacity. Contrast-enhancement dyes were used and observed with MRI scans to track the resulting changes in the brain, which showed the dye moving through what are known as draining veins.

"This imaging pattern was unexpected and enhances our understanding of brain physiology," says Rashi Mehtam, who led the research. "The glymphatic system, which is a fluid-movement and waste-clearance system that's unique to the brain, has been studied in animals, but there is controversy about whether this system truly exists in humans. The imaging pattern that we discuss in the paper offers evidence not only to support that the system does likely exist in humans but that focused ultrasound may modulate fluid movement patterns and immunological responses along this system."

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