Researchers used ultrasound to reduce amyloid plaques in patients brains
of ConsumerAffairsResearchers report hopeful progress in efforts to find treatments for Alzheimers disease. They report a recent clinical trial has demonstrated the potential of focused ultrasound to safely reduce amyloid plaques, a key marker of Alzheimer's disease, without the need for medication.
The study was led by Dr. Jin Woo Chang in Seoul, South Korea, and published in the Journal of Neurosurgery. The research team said the trial results mark a significant step forward in the fight against this debilitating condition.
The trial, funded by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, involved six female participants aged 50 to 85, who underwent repetitive focused ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening across both frontal lobes. This approach aimed to explore the safety and efficacy of opening larger volumes of the BBB more frequently than in previous studies.
The treatments were conducted using the ExAblate Neuro 220 kHz low-intensity focused ultrasound system in combination with intravenously injected Definity microbubbles.
The study achieved an average BBB opening volume of 43.1 cubic centimeters, the largest recorded in any clinical trial to date. Thats significant, the researchers said, because it allowed for greater exposure of amyloid plaques to the focused ultrasound and could provide a promising new direction in Alzheimer's treatment.
Chang, a professor of neurosurgery at Korea University Anam Hospital, emphasized the significance of the study,
We developed this protocol to provide optimal benefit and to test the use of focused ultrasound in larger regions of the brain affected by Alzheimers disease, Chang said. This study begins to provide a more complete understanding of the effects of BBB opening alone and will serve as the basis for future trials.
Improvement in symptoms
The trial also reported improvements in symptoms, with five out of six participants showing better CGA-NPI scores, which assess symptoms such as delusions, agitation, irritability, and anxiety. Importantly, no treatment-related adverse events were observed.
The results of this small study are encouraging, exciting, and provocative but have to be confirmed by larger studies, said Dr. Neal Kassell, founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.
Focused ultrasound offers hope in a field that has long sought innovative solutions and has the potential to disrupt the course of this devastating disease.
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Posted: 2025-01-17 11:49:41
