Low-intensity ultrasound boosts therapeutic delivery to the brain

Noninvasive low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) temporarily opened the blood-brain barrier to allow molecules to enter the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, a study reports. In nonhuman primates, LIFU safely enhanced the delivery of a gene therapy model using a harmless, modified virus directly to the striatum, a region affected…

Brain Ultrasound Signals Linked to Motor Disability, Gait

Enhanced ultrasound signals in the substantia nigra, the area of the brain impacted by Parkinson’s disease, are associated with increased motor disability and gait disturbances, a study concluded. The researchers noted that these ultrasound signals, called hyperechogenicity, may be useful a biomarker that reflects disease severity. “Our results may…