Ultrasound and the Brain

Did you know that pulsed ultrasound has been found to affect the brain in rather dramatic ways? Neuroscientists at Arizona State University found that pulsed ultrasound activated brain waves in the hippocampus, the brain’s search engine, and stimulated production of BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, vital for long-term memory. This means that in the future, pulsed ultrasound may be useful for enhancing cognitive performance; perhaps even in the treatment of cognitive disabilities such as mental retardation and Alzheimer's disease.