Motivation: Focused ultrasound (FUS) with microbubbles is a promising technology for opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to deliver therapeutics to the brain. Answering fundamental questions about the process of BBB opening will aid in the translation of this method to the clinic. Goal(s): Use FUS, 2-photon microscopy, MRI and immunohistochemistry to investigate FUS-induced changes in wild type and 5X-FAD AD mice. Approach: A cross-sectional study involving MRI, 2PM, and IHC to examine BBB opening at multiple timepoints in a disease model. Results: Results suggest BBB opening occurs in capillaries and that the BBB opening is similar between WT and 5X-FAD mice. Impact: DCE imaging and sub-micron imaging of the microvasculature after BBB opening provide insight into which vessels are opened after FUS and improve pharmacokinetic understanding of the paravascular space in an Alzheimer's Disease model.
Murphy et al. (Tue,) studied this question.