Transcranial ultrasound pulse stimulation reduces cortical atrophy in Alzheimer's patients: A follow‐up study

Abstract Introduction Ultrasound for the brain is a revolutionary therapeutic concept. The first clinical data indicate that 2–4 weeks of therapy with transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) improve functional networks and cognitive performance of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients for up to 3 mont...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tudor Popescu, Cyril Pernet, Roland Beisteiner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-01-01
Series:Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.12121
Description
Summary:Abstract Introduction Ultrasound for the brain is a revolutionary therapeutic concept. The first clinical data indicate that 2–4 weeks of therapy with transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) improve functional networks and cognitive performance of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients for up to 3 months. No data currently exist on possible benefits concerning brain morphology, namely the cortical atrophy characteristic of AD. Methods We performed a pre‐/post‐therapy analysis of cortical thickness in a group of N = 17 AD patients. Results We found a significant correlation between neuropsychological improvement and cortical thickness increase in AD‐critical brain areas. Discussion AD patients who benefit from TPS appear to manifest reduced cortical atrophy within the default mode network in particular, whose memory‐related subsystems are believed to be disrupted in AD. TPS may therefore hold promise as a new add‐on therapy for AD.
ISSN:2352-8737