Using focused ultrasound to improve memory
Official title: Focused ultrasound for memory disorders
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11285345 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try focused ultrasound to improve working memory related to Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2023 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $736,314 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH133020-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285345 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal future participants would include people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease and others with significant working memory problems who can travel to a research center.
✕Less likely to help
People with very advanced dementia, memory loss from non-neurological causes, or medical conditions making MRI or ultrasound unsafe may not benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers are using focused ultrasound (FUS) to stimulate deep brain areas and to temporarily open the blood–brain barrier so medicines can reach targeted regions. The team will test these approaches in awake nonhuman primates trained on working memory tasks while collecting MRI scans to see how brain circuits change. They will examine both direct neuromodulation and FUS-assisted drug delivery, plus detailed safety checks in cortical and deep structures. Establishing effects and safety in primates is a step toward future clinical trials in people with memory disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to new, non-addictive treatments that improve working memory for people with Alzheimer’s and related conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Early animal work and pilot human trials of focused ultrasound for brain stimulation and blood–brain barrier opening show promise, but benefits for memory remain experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ferrera, Vincent P — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Ferrera, Vincent P
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.