Therapeutic Potentials of Localized Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption by Noninvasive Transcranial Focused Ultrasound: A Technical Review

Summary: The demands for region-specific, noninvasive therapies for neurologic/psychiatric conditions are growing. The rise of transcranial focused ultrasound technology has witnessed temporary and reversible disruptions of the blood–brain barrier in the brain with exceptional control over the spatial precisions and depth, all in a noninvasive manner. Starting with small animal studies about a decade ago, the technique is now being explored in nonhuman primates and humans for the assessment of its efficacy and safety. The ability to transfer exogenous/endogenous therapeutic agents, cells, and biomolecules across the blood–brain barrier opens up new therapeutic avenues for various neurologic conditions, with a possibility to modulate the excitability of regional brain function. This review addresses the technical fundamentals, sonication parameters, experimental protocols, and monitoring techniques to examine the efficacy/safety in focused ultrasound–mediated blood–brain barrier disruption and discuss its potential translations to clinical use.
Source: Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology - Category: Neurology Tags: Invited Review Source Type: research