An Australian team discovered a technique that restores total memory in 75% of Alzheimer's sufferers. It's non-invasive and involves the use of ultrasound to remove neurotoxic amyloid plaques. This plaque is what deteriorates memory. At the moment this technique is being tested on mice and will not be available for human testing until 2017. My only question is why do they have to wait so long?
http://www.sciencealert.com/new-alzheim ... y-function
Ultrasound Technology and Alzheimer’s
-
Icey
Re: Ultrasound Technology and Alzheimer’s
This sounds like very good news. Ultrasound's been around for years, and used to treat all sorts of things, kidney stones being a prime example, but it also has its risks. Like any new technique, tests're slow to being passed as safe, and it doesn't seem as though the long-term effect of testing on mice's been fully investigated yet.
The effects from ultrasound exposure can include mild heating, coagulative necrosis, tissue vaporization, or all three.
A passage from Science Alert says: Ultrasonic cavitation and gas body activation are closely related mechanisms which depend on the rarefactional pressure. This high rarefactional pressure can act to initiate cavitation activity in tissue when suitable cavitation nuclei are present, or directly induce pulsation of pre-existing gas bodies, such as occur in lung, intestine, or with ultrasound contrast agents. Cavitation and gas body activation primarily cause local tissue injury in the immediate vicinity of the cavitational activity, including cell death and hemorrhage of blood vessels, so I imagine that this's why so much more research needs to be carried out before human trials lead to general use.
Nearly everyone I know who's been pregnant's received ultrasound treatment, and although there appear to've been no harmful side effects, latest research tends to suggest that mothers who have repeated ultrasound scans give birth to children of a lower birth weight than those who don't.
The following's a bit long-winded, but interesting:
http://chriskresser.com/natural-childbi ... y-thought/
The effects from ultrasound exposure can include mild heating, coagulative necrosis, tissue vaporization, or all three.
A passage from Science Alert says: Ultrasonic cavitation and gas body activation are closely related mechanisms which depend on the rarefactional pressure. This high rarefactional pressure can act to initiate cavitation activity in tissue when suitable cavitation nuclei are present, or directly induce pulsation of pre-existing gas bodies, such as occur in lung, intestine, or with ultrasound contrast agents. Cavitation and gas body activation primarily cause local tissue injury in the immediate vicinity of the cavitational activity, including cell death and hemorrhage of blood vessels, so I imagine that this's why so much more research needs to be carried out before human trials lead to general use.
Nearly everyone I know who's been pregnant's received ultrasound treatment, and although there appear to've been no harmful side effects, latest research tends to suggest that mothers who have repeated ultrasound scans give birth to children of a lower birth weight than those who don't.
The following's a bit long-winded, but interesting:
http://chriskresser.com/natural-childbi ... y-thought/
Re: Ultrasound Technology and Alzheimer’s
Given the risks of ultrasonic cavitation and gas body activation, I am guessing this would be inappropriate treatment for air heads.
-
Icey
Re: Ultrasound Technology and Alzheimer’s
I think you're right! : )
No good for me then! LOL.
No good for me then! LOL.
Re: Ultrasound Technology and Alzheimer’s
I have my doubts that it would restore "total" memory. In addition to the plaques, Alzheimer's is accompanied by accelerated cerebral atrophy. Once brain tissue has been lost, it does not regenerate. Further, it would appear that patients would require repeated treatments, as further plaques continued to grow. At best, this appears to be merely a temporary "stop gap" measure to slow the progression of the disease rather than a legitimate treatment.
"The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have." -- Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)
Re: Ultrasound Technology and Alzheimer’s
Keep in mind that ultrasound is also used to destroy kidney stones...neurons are far more delicate than renal calculi, so I can certainly understand how they'd delay human testing on this until their ultrasound techs become proficient. The damage that *could* be done is significant.
"The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have." -- Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)
-
Icey
Re: Ultrasound Technology and Alzheimer’s
I agree with you, and was reading more about this in one of today's papers. It's said that the experimental stage paves the way to justifying the expense of GPR3 targetting drugs though (which're meant to try and remove the plaques). These may, or may not help, but I doubt that any of these treatments're going to be permanent.
Alzheimers is a horrible disease, but it makes me wonder whether this loss of brain cells is just part of the dying mechanism in some people, or whether, again, outside influences, such as what people eat, drink, breathe in - or are medicated with - don't play some part in this degradation?
Alzheimers is a horrible disease, but it makes me wonder whether this loss of brain cells is just part of the dying mechanism in some people, or whether, again, outside influences, such as what people eat, drink, breathe in - or are medicated with - don't play some part in this degradation?