Monday, December 2, 2024

Plaque Busters

Ultrasound technology clears the accumulation of the toxic protein that characterizes Alzheimeru2019s Disease.

A hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is the build-up of amyloid-beta, a toxic protein, in the brain and within the blood-brain barrier.   Employing a laboratory animal model, Gerhard Leinenga from the University of Queensland Brain Institute (Australia), and colleagues utilized ultrasound therapy combined with micro-bubbles to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier and clear the amyloid beta.  Subsequent testing revealed that the mice demonstrated improvements in memory skills. The study authors submit that: “Our findings suggest that repeated [scanning ultrasound] is useful for removing [amyloid beta] in the mouse brain without causing overt damage, and should be explored further as a noninvasive method with therapeutic potential in [Alzheimer’s Disease].”

Gerhard Leinenga and Jurgen Gotz.  “Scanning ultrasound removes amyloid-[beta] and restores memory in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model.” Sci Transl Med, Vol. 7, Issue 278, p. 278ra33.

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