Stimulating spleens with ultrasound hints at a treatment for inflammation
We typically think of using ultrasound to take pictures of our organs and tissues to check if they are healthy. But a slight tweak to the tool might lead to treatments for certain diseases, scientists suggest. Stimulating people’s spleens with ultrasound waves appears to briefly reduce a sign of inflammation in samples of their blood, researchers report in the May–June issue of Brain Stimulation. If validated in further studies, the results could lead the way toward a noninvasive therapy for chronic inflammation, the team says. The ultrasound waves used in the new study are more intense than what’s used to generate images, and they’re specially designed to stimulate nerves. Past research on targeting different brain areas or the spinal cord with such intense sound waves has shown potential for treating neurological diseases. And when directed at the liver, the technique — called focused ultrasound stimulation, or FUS — has helped to reduce...