Open AccessTranscranial ultrasound pulse stimulation reduces cortical atrophy in Alzheimer's patients: A follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Popescu Tudor,
Pernet Cyril,
Beisteiner Roland
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: translational research and clinical interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.49
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 2352-8737
DOI - 10.1002/trc2.12121
Subject(s) - atrophy , medicine , neuropsychology , transcranial magnetic stimulation , neuroscience , alzheimer's disease , stimulation , psychology , cardiology , disease , physical medicine and rehabilitation , cognition
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.