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The Therapeutic Potential of Focused Ultrasound in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by abnormal deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Despite the fact that biomarkers and methods of treating AD are currently under active investigation, there is still no therapy that can significantly reduce the progression of this disease. Seeking therapeutic disease-modifying strategies is therefore becoming increasingly popular. One such strategy is MRI-guided focused ultrasound (FUS) using a contrast agent (microbubbles). Low-intensity FUS produces a temporary increase in the permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which is the main obstacle to the effective delivery of therapeutic compounds to the brain, imposing size limits and biochemical restrictions on the passage of molecules. AD is associated with BBB dysfunction, so studies of the use of FUS in patients with AD is of considerable interest. Studies in animal models of AD have provided evidence indicating the effectiveness of FUS. Researchers attribute the effectiveness of the method to an increase in BBB permeability induced by FUS and a decrease in the number of amyloid plaques. FUS has also been shown to be able to facilitate the delivery of therapeutic drugs to the brain. FUS can therefore be regarded as a contemporary noninvasive treatment method. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of FUS in patients with AD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Russian Ministry of Health, Moscow, Russia

    E. A. Kovalenko, E. V. Makhnovich & A. N. Bogolepova

  2. Federal Center of Brain Research and Neurotechnologies, Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia, Moscow, Russia

    E. A. Kovalenko, E. V. Makhnovich, N. A. Osinovskaya & A. N. Bogolepova

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  3. N. A. Osinovskaya
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Correspondence to E. A. Kovalenko.

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Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 122, No. 10, pp. 38–45, October, 2022.

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Kovalenko, E.A., Makhnovich, E.V., Osinovskaya, N.A. et al. The Therapeutic Potential of Focused Ultrasound in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurosci Behav Physi 53, 793–800 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-023-01471-z

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