A study has shown scanning ultrasound restores memory in Alzheimer’s diseased brains.
The findings were published in the March edition of Science Translational Medicine.
Scientists tested the reaction of amyloid beta peptide, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, to the process of scanning ultrasound.
The study was done on mice that had been subjected to induced Alzheimer’s disease. The mice were repeatedly exposed to scanning ultrasound treatments, without any additional therapeutic methods.
Spinning disk confocal microscopy and high-resolution three-dimensional reconstruction showed a positive impact on the amyloid beta peptides.
Plaque burdens were reduced in the mice brains that underwent the treatment by up to 75 percent. Those mice treated showed improved performance on memory tasks.
No overt damage was done to the mice brains subjected to the ultrasound treatment.
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/7/278/278ra33
