Findings suggest ultrasound could be used to support the brain before dementia begins
Research into non-invasive approaches to supporting long-term brain health is the focus of the 2025 Medical Research Council (MRC) Max Perutz Award writing winner.
The award was won by MRC-funded PhD student Vanessa Drevenakova for her article, “The Sound of Youth: Can Ultrasound Delay Brain Ageing?”, which explores the potential of ultrasound as a tool in brain health research.
Her work investigates whether ultrasound could be used to support the brain before decline associated with ageing and dementia begins.
With life expectancy rising, dementia is now one of the leading causes of death in the UK, says UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Current treatments often come too late and do little to reverse the damage.
As we age, our brain immune cells, known as microglia, become less effective at clearing up damaged proteins. If these proteins are left to build up, they can damage the connections between neurons, preventing the brain from working effectively.
Over time, these changes can affect learning, memory, and overall cognitive function of the brain, symptoms associated with ageing and dementia.
Commonly known for its use in pregnancy scans, ultrasound technology also holds enormous potential as a safe and non-invasive treatment.
Focused ultrasound uses gentle sound waves that converge like sunlight through a magnifying glass, delivering mechanical signals deep into the brain. These signals can change the activity of our brain cells, offering a new non-invasive way to influence brain function without surgery or drugs.
This technology is already approved in the UK for the treatment of essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, and different cancers.
It is also being tested in patients with Alzheimer’s in the US.
In Vanessa’s lab at Imperial College London, she uses focused ultrasound to stimulate microglia, the brain’s immune cells, deep inside the brain.
In her article she describes how the ultrasound’s tiny vibrations cause small waves of pressure that work to open trapdoor-like channels on the surface of the microglia cells.
This allows a rush of calcium inside which acts to wake them up and kick-start them back into action.
In her own words, Vanessa writes: “My research asks whether we can encourage these senescent microglia to behave more like their younger selves: active, protective, and calm.
“I watch how they move under the microscope, track the signals they send, and test the chemical messages they release to see if their behaviour is changing.”
Currently in the pre-clinical stage, her research involves testing how microglia respond in the ageing brains of mice.
Early findings suggest that ultrasound can change the behaviour of the cells to be more responsive, to clear the damage and to restore balance in the brain.
Vanessa and her team, based at the UK Dementia Research Institute, are looking at whether ultrasound could be used to intervene early, before too much damage occurs.
The study finds this could act to delay or reduce the impact of age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Vanessa says: “What really drives me is the possibility that we can intervene early to support brain health as people age.
“I truly care about protecting people’s memories, because they are so precious and such an important part of who we are.
“I am very excited about our early findings and those of others in the field, and I am hopeful that together we could make a real difference to people’s lives.”
Although this research is at an early stage, Vanessa’s PhD is part of a wider shift in brain health research, focusing not just on treatments, but also on timing.
If successful, it could open the door to therapies that are safe, non-invasive and effective.
Earlier this year Dementias Platform UK announced that it had received funding from Innovate UK through the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme to add a digital dimension to its READ-OUT study.
