Based on this open access paper:researchers ... reported that scanning ultrasound improved synaptic signaling, increased neurogenesis, and sharpened spatial memory in old wild-type mice. Importantly, this worked without breaching the blood-brain barrier, a commonly used ultrasound trick to provoke a brain response. Whether this scanning ultrasound technique is appropriate for people remains to be seen, though early stage clinical trials in older adults indicate it may be safe.
Low-intensity ultrasound restores long-term potentiation and memory in senescent mice through pleiotropic mechanisms including NMDAR signaling
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-021-01129-7
Blackmore DG, Turpin F, Palliyaguru T, Evans HT, Chicoteau A, Lee W, Pelekanos M, Nguyen N, Song J, Sullivan RK, Sah P, Bartlett PF, Götz J.
Mol Psychiatry. 2021 May 27;
DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01129-7
Abstract
Advanced physiological aging is associated with impaired cognitive performance and the inability to induce long-term potentiation (LTP), an electrophysiological correlate of memory. Here, we demonstrate in the physiologically aged, senescent mouse brain that scanning ultrasound combined with microbubbles (SUS+MB), by transiently opening the blood–brain barrier, fully restores LTP induction in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Intriguingly, SUS treatment without microbubbles (SUSonly), i.e., without the uptake of blood-borne factors, proved even more effective, not only restoring LTP, but also ameliorating the spatial learning deficits of the aged mice. This functional improvement is accompanied by an altered milieu of the aged hippocampus, including a lower density of perineuronal nets, increased neurogenesis, and synaptic signaling, which collectively results in improved spatial learning. We therefore conclude that therapeutic ultrasound is a non-invasive, pleiotropic modality that may enhance cognition in elderly humans.
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Discussion
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What are the implications of our study for human conditions of memory impairment? Whereas therapeutic ultrasound with MBs (SUS+MB) is currently being explored as a treatment modality for AD because of its effects on clearing protein aggregates due to the uptake of blood-borne therapeutic factors [3, 4, 47], our data suggest an additional benefit by restoring LTP with ultrasound only (SUSonly)....
