Secondary effects on brain physiology caused by focused ultrasound-mediated disruption of the blood-brain barrier.

ABSTRACT: Focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with microbubbles is a non-invasive method for targeted, reversible disruption of the blood-brain barrier (FUS-BBB opening). This approach holds great promise for improving delivery of therapeutics to the brain. In order to achieve this clinically important goal, the approach necessarily breaks a protective barrier, temporarily, which plays a fundamental role in maintaining a homeostatic environment in the brain. Preclinical and clinical research has identified a set of treatment parameters under which this can be performed safely, whereby the BBB is disrupted to the point of being permeable to normally non-penetrant agents without causing significant acute damage to endothelial or neuronal cells. Much of the early work in this field focused on engineering

SUBMITTER: Todd N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7429281 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature