Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Stimulation for Alzheimer's Disease-A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Neuromodulation
• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents a significant global health challenge with limited treatment options.
• Current non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methods like TMS and tDCS have limited efficacy due to shallow brain penetration.
• Transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS) offers precise deep-brain targeting for neuromodulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the evidence for transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS) in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• To map the current applications and outcomes of tFUS as a neuromodulatory intervention for AD.
• To assess the safety and efficacy of tFUS in targeting deep-brain AD pathology.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted.
• Searches were performed across Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and CENTRAL databases.
• Studies investigating FUS for neuromodulation in AD (excluding microbubble applications) were included and data extracted by two independent reviewers.

Main Results:

• Transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS) is a safe and potent intervention for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• tFUS effectively addresses both pathological protein aggregation and electrophysiological network dysfunction in AD.
• The technique demonstrates potential in modulating neuroplasticity and promoting metabolic recovery.

Conclusions:

• tFUS shows a promising therapeutic trajectory for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• Future research should focus on standardizing tFUS acoustic protocols.
• Longitudinal clinical studies are needed to establish the long-term efficacy of tFUS for AD.