Ultrasound Could Prove Helpful in TBI Recovery
Neuroscientists at Arizona State University have found a new treatment for brain disorders such as Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimer’s. In an article in the Oct. 29 issue of the Journal Public Library of Science they reported they have developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that remotely stimulate brain circuit activity. “We were quite surprised to find that ultrasound at power levels lower than those typically used in routine diagnostic medical imaging procedures could produce an increase in the activity of neurons while higher power levels produced very little effect on their activity,” lead investigator William “Jamie” Tyler said. The findings are encouraging. If the noninvasive ultrasound technique proves helpful in the treatment of TBI then the door this treatment opens for victims of TBI is significant. Tyler and the other ASU researchers will now focus on further research into the influence of ultrasound on intact brain circuits and hope to use the low intensity ultrasound in pre-clinical trials for the treatment of neurological diseases.
