Health and Disability

"The word 'breakthrough' is often misused, but in this case I think this really does fundamentally change our understanding of how to treat this disease, and I foresee a great future for this approach," says study author Prof. Jürgen Götz, of the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research at the Queensland Brain Institute.

In their study, recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, Prof. Götz and his colleague Gerhard Leinenga - also of the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research - reveal how the newultrasound approach removed beta-amyloid plaques from the brains of Alzheimer's mouse models, restoring their memory.

The team's technique involves directing repeated scanning ultrasound (SUS) to the brain in order to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier.

When used on the brains of Alzheimer's mouse models, the team found the SUS technique successfully cleared beta-amyloid plaques in 75% of mice.

"The ultrasound waves oscillate tremendously quickly, activating microglial cells that digest and remove the amyloid plaques that destroy brain synapses," explains Prof. Götz.

In three memory tasks, the team found the mice treated with SUS performed significantly better than mice that were not treated with the ultrasound technique. In fact, the researchers say their memory was restored to levels seen in healthy mice.