Ultrasound Jiggles Open Brain Barrier, a Step to Better Care

A study published in Nature Communications and presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference involved people with Alzheimer's undertaking an experiment to determine whether focused ultrasound can safely perforate the blood-brain barrier, reports the Associated Press . The researchers injected microscopic bubbles into the bloodstream, targeted at a precise brain region through a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. They then beamed ultrasound waves through a helmet-like device to that point, causing the microbubbles to vibrate. The researchers tested to see whether participants' fragile blood vessels could withstand the breach without bleeding or other side effects, in the hope that eventually anti-Alzheimer's drugs and other treatments could access the brain instead of being blocked by the barrier. The appearance of a medical dye on the MRIs demonstrated that the barrier opened, and a follow-up scan one day later showed the breach had sealed. "What is remarkable is that they could do it in a very focused way, they can target a very specific brain region," says Eliezer Masliah with the National Institute on Aging.