Alzheimer’s is a disease that destroys the memory and other important cognitive mental functions in the brain, if left untreated it could be damaging to the individual’s brain and could cause permanent memory loss. A person with Alzheimer’s disease has a build up of two lesions in the brain – amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid plaques are a sticky buildup that begins to accumulate outside of the nerve cells. Neurofibrillary tangles are a buildup of hyper phosphorylated protein, which is the primary maker of Alzheimer’s disease and what causes it. These tangles get more entangled and more twisted which causes some disruptions in the brain causing Alzheimer’s.
Some symptoms are cognitive mental decline, difficulty thinking or understanding, being confused, making things up, difficulty concentrating and inability to recognize common things. Many physicians have been trying to find a cure/treatments for this disease that could help the patients remember. Doctors use medications and strategies to temporarily improve the symptoms but no cure exists untilllll now!
Recently researchers have created an ultrasound technology that clears the brain from structures in the neurons that are responsible for memory loss and decline of intellectual functioning for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
The ultrasound technology has been tested on mice. The function of the ultrasound basically sends sound waves into the brain tissue. While the sound waves enter the brain they are able to go past the blood brain barrier, a layer that protects the brain form any bacteria by separating circulating blood and stimulate the microglial cells to activate. Microglial cells help remove waste material in the central nervous system (CNS).
Courtesy: Health.Howstuffworks.com
The results show that 75% of the mice memory was fully restored. To make sure the mice had restored their memories, researchers developed memory tasks for the mice to see if they fully remembered. The first memory task was a maze, in which the mice had to go in it and see if they remembered where they came from. The second memory task was to see if they remembered fully an object they saw before, and the last memory task was to learn to avoid places that stimulated danger.
Researchers are still testing the device to make sure it is suitable for use and to make sure it does not damage any brain tissue. Many of the researchers are happy about this device because that means they will not have to use over the counter drugs to help medicate this disease instead a more natural way of treating it. They still have not tested the device on humans but if it continues the way it is going with the mice it could be tested on humans in the near future. Other researchers are trying to discover and test other cures for Alzheimer’s that do not require any medications, which results find are healthier for the person and less aggravating to their bodies.