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Ultrasound May Help Counter Brain Disease

Low frequency ultrasound shown to release neurotransmitters

By Amelia Atlas,  Newser User

Posted Jan 10, 2009 4:50 PM CST
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(Newser) – Bombarding the brain with sound waves may not seem like the most logical way to repair damage, but a new study shows that ultrasound may have therapeutic uses, reports the Economist. While ultrasound technology has long been used to take images of human interiors, such as fetuses in the womb, an Arizona lab has suggested that at lower frequencies, these sound waves could be used to manipulate nerves without harming them.

In the study, the ultrasound effectively got mouse brain tissue to release neurotransmitters, the molecules that transport information between nerves. Communication between neurons breaks down in many major medical conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Ultrasound is years away from having actual applications for treatment, but by tricking cells into releasing neurotransmitters, the study signals a promising alternative to the use of drugs or electrodes for mental illnesses.

SonoSite's revolutionary S-FAST ultrasound tool for emergency medicine at the point-of-care.
SonoSite's revolutionary S-FAST ultrasound tool for emergency medicine at the point-of-care.   (Photo: Business Wire)
The study was conducted uses slices of mouse brains.
The study was conducted uses slices of mouse brains.   (Getty Images)
A nerve cell. Low frequency ultrasound stimulates the release of neurotransmitters.
A nerve cell. Low frequency ultrasound stimulates the release of neurotransmitters.
An ultrasound tool.
An ultrasound tool.   (Photo: Business Wire)
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Ultrasound used to open brain pathways
BBC

 
Parkinson's disease • brain • neurons • Alzheimer's Disease • brain chemistry • ultrasound

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