Could it be? Yes, at last a glimmer of real hope on the Alzheimer’s research horizon and it’s right at our own front door.
Dementia is one of the biggest health challenges globally. In Australia, it is the single greatest cause of disability in Australians aged 65 years or older and the third leading cause of death (the second leading cause in women). What makes it worse is that, despite decades of research, the world is no closer to finding a cure for this progressive brain disorder …. until just now.
A few weeks ago, researchers from Queensland University’s Queensland Brain Institute announced their discovery that a non-invasive ultrasound technology can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and restore memory – at least, it worked in mice.
While much research into a cure for Alzheimer’s is focused on developing a drug, this research group discovered that a drug-free approach using ultrasound (a relatively inexpensive type of therapy) and something called ‘microbubble technology’ was highly effective in restoring memory function – in mice.
The discovery has been described as ‘a breakthrough’. It’s a heavily overused and frequently exaggerated term in medical and scientific reporting; so should we take this one with a certain handful of salt?
Well, on this occasion the researchers say it is justified.
Professor Jürgen Götz is director of the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research at Queensland University’s Queensland Brain Institute and a co-investigator in the research with principal investigator, PhD student, Gerhard Leinenga.
“In this case,” Professor Götz said in a press statement, “I think this really does fundamentally change our understanding of how to treat this disease, and I foresee a great future for this approach” adding that they were “[…]extremely excited by this innovation of treating Alzheimer’s without using drug therapeutics.”
The breakthrough label is largely due to the novel approach of using the ultrasound technology in this way.
Warning technical stuff ahead!
So how does it work? Well… according to Professor Götz, “the ultrasound waves oscillate tremendously quickly, activating microglial cells that digest and remove the amyloid plaques that destroy brain synapses.”
Amyloid plaques? While it’s not fully understood, it is believed that these sticky amyloid plaques are one of the two prime culprits in Alzheimer’s disease (for the record, the other one is ‘neurofibrillary tangles’ but we won’t go there today) and much of the effort in finding a cure has focused on removing or reducing them. For instance, researchers have been trying to develop drugs that reduce the production of the protein, beta-amyloid, which is what clumps together to form the plaques.
This new ultrasound approach seems to take a more ‘mechanical’ approach to doing the same thing.
According to the University of Queensland team, the ultrasound technique is able to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, activating mechanisms that clear the toxic protein clumps and restore memory functions. At least it worked for the mice.
“This treatment restored memory function to the same level of normal healthy mice,” said Professor Götz.
“We’re also working on seeing whether this method clears toxic protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases other than Alzheimer’s and whether this also restores executive functions, including decision-making and motor control,” he said.
Professor Götz says that because the blood-brain barrier’s opening is only temporary – for a few hours – it quickly restores its protective role.
The verdict?
All in all, everyone seems to agree that it sounds very promising but we do need to remember that the research has been conducted using mice with an Alzheimer’s model. The researchers say the next step will be to scale up the research using higher animal models, before commencing human clinical trials, which are at least two years away.
Meanwhile, prevention is the best strategy we have. As many of us already know, a healthy lifestyle HAS been shown to help lower the risk of getting dementia. You know the drill: eat a healthy diet with plenty of green vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and not too much red meat; keep to a healthy weight; exercise regularly; don’t smoke; drink alcohol in moderation; and keep your blood pressure healthy. Mind your brain health too – give it plenty of exercise and, importantly, stay engaged with life.
Findings of the Queensland Brain Institute research, “Scanning ultrasound efficiently removes amyloid-β and restores memory in an Alzheimer’s model”, are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
