Before Rezais study, other researchers discovered the ultrasound technique was able to make small openings in the barrier. The openings closed up after 48 hours. Rezais experiment showed that the technique could be used to deliver medicine. Many of the recently approved Alzheimers treatments take a long time to work. Patients must come for injections every few weeks for 18 months. The new treatment offers hope that patients can get results faster. Why not try to clear the plaques within a few months, Rezai asked when discussing the reason behind his study. His team gave three patients a dose of the drug Aduhelm each month for six months. Right after each injection, his team aimed the focused ultrasound at part of the brain known to have the plaque build-up. As a result, more of the days dose of the drug got through the blood-brain barrier.

Scientists have found a way to help Alzheimers drugs seep inside the brain faster by temporarily breaching its protective shield. (Victor Finomore/WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute via AP) The team scanned the patients brains before and after the treatment. After six months, scans showed a 32 percent reduction in plaque in the areas that were targeted, compared to areas that were not targeted. Dr. Eliezer Masliah of the National Institute on Aging was not involved in the research. Masliah said the trial brings some hope for Alzheimers patients. However, he advised that larger trials are needed. Its very exciting data, he said. It opens the door for more extensive, larger studies. Masliah warned that one concern that must be investigated is whether the faster delivery of the drug will create side effects such as swelling and brain bleeding.

Rezai said he is about to start a new study using another Alzheimers drug called Leqembi. He added that larger studies would be needed to see if combining focused ultrasound with Alzheimers drugs makes a real difference for patients. Other researchers may start studying whether the technique works for the treatment of other diseases that affect the brain, such as cancer.