Focused ultrasound mitigates pathology and improves spatial memory in Alzheimer's mice and patients

Scientists use sound waves and tiny bubbles to temporarily open a gate in the brain’s protective barrier, letting the brain’s own cleanup crew remove harmful gunk called amyloid-beta plaques.

Scientists found that using a special sound wave treatment on mice with Alzheimer’s-like brain changes reduced two key signs of the disease—tau protein buildup and tangled nerve cell branches—by nearly a third and half, respectively, after four treatments.

Scientists found that mice given a special sound treatment with tiny bubbles in their brains remembered better where they were in a water maze, and this worked for both regular mice and genetically modified ones.

Scientists used a special sound wave treatment on mice with Alzheimer’s-like brain changes, and after four weekly sessions, they saw fewer and smaller clumps of harmful protein in the memory area of the brain—but the loose, floating version of that protein didn’t change much.

A doctor used a special sound wave treatment with tiny bubbles in one person with early Alzheimer’s, and for a few weeks, the brain’s Alzheimer’s protein markers went down a little—but then they went up even higher by three months.

Scientists found that when they used sound waves and tiny bubbles on mice with a brain disease similar to Alzheimer’s, a specific gene in their memory center became more active—and this might help clear out the sticky proteins that cause brain problems.