New Alzheimer's Discovery: Using Ultrasound Waves to Improve Memory

Alzheimer's might be the second most feared disease behind cancer. Most of us, even those outside the medical profession, have come into contact with someone suffering from this illness. Alzheimer's affects 50 million people worldwide.

Australian researchers have come up with a potential treatment using ultrasound to break down the amyloid plaques that form between neurons.

This ultrasound technique uses sound waves, but alters the frequency that they're delivered at, to open up the blood brain barrier. This barrier protects the brain against against things that could kill it-- like bacteria.

In this case, opening up the blood brain barrier stimulates waste-removal cells, called microglila cells, to begin clearing out these plaques.

Now, this has only been tested in mice but researchers state that 75% of these mice had fully restored memory function and no brain damage to surrounding tissue.

The team hopes to conduct human trials by 2017.

You can read more in-depth about this medical discovery here.