Which “Breakthrough” Will Prove to be the Real Miracle Needed to Prevent or Cure Alzheimer’s?

I‘ve been writing for the Elder Law Prof Blog for almost exactly three years, and it has been a wonderful way to keep up with the vast array of topics that affect “law and aging,” Blogging has broadened my horizons, especially with respect to medicine and science.  At first I would get excited about each new announcement of a potential drug or treatment that “might” cure Alzheimer’s.

Over time, you learn to be more, shall we say, judicious in reporting on the report of cures.

Australian researchers announced last year that they “have come up with a non-invasive ultrasound technology that clears the brain of neurotoxic amyloid plaques – structures that are responsible for memory loss and a decline in cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients.” Their preliminary work is with mice:

Publishing in Science Translational Medicine, the team describes the technique as using a particular type of ultrasound called a focused therapeutic ultrasound, which non-invasively beams sound waves into the brain tissue. By oscillating super-fast, these sound waves are able to gently open up the blood-brain barrier, which is a layer that protects the brain against bacteria, and stimulate the brain’s microglial cells to activate. Microglila cells are basically waste-removal cells, so they’re able to clear out the toxic beta-amyloid clumps that are responsible for the worst symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

 

The team reports fully restoring the memory function of 75 percent of the mice they tested it on, with zero damage to the surrounding brain tissue. They found that the treated mice displayed improved performance in three memory tasks – a maze, a test to get them to recognise new objects, and one to get them to remember the places they should avoid.

 

“We’re extremely excited by this innovation of treating Alzheimer’s without using drug therapeutics,” one of the team, Jürgen Götz, said in a press release. “The word ‘breakthrough’ is often misused, but in this case I think this really does fundamentally change our understanding of how to treat this disease, and I foresee a great future for this approach.”

What has happened since the first news “alert,” published in March 2015?   Perhaps one of our readers knows the latest on this particular approach, and can bring more light to bear on this breakthrough.  For more, read,  Science Alert: “New Alzheimer’s Treatment Fully Restores Memory Function.“  Special  thanks to GW Law Professor Naomi Cahn for bringing this item  to our attention.