Focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening reveals a paradoxical remote metabolic response in the primate brain.
S, S., D, L., F, M., J, G., EE, K., & VP, F. (2026). Focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening reveals a paradoxical remote metabolic response in the primate brain.. Science advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aed4944
S S, D L, F M, J G, EE K, VP F. Focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening reveals a paradoxical remote metabolic response in the primate brain.. Science advances. 2026; doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aed4944
S S, D L, F M, et al. Focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening reveals a paradoxical remote metabolic response in the primate brain.[J]. Science advances. 2026. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aed4944.
@article{s2026,
author = {Sanatkhani S and Liu D and Munoz F and Grinband J and Konofagou EE and Ferrera VP},
title = {Focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening reveals a paradoxical remote metabolic response in the primate brain.},
journal = {Science advances},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aed4944},
note = {PMID: 42467769},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Sanatkhani S AU - Liu D AU - Munoz F AU - Grinband J AU - Konofagou EE AU - Ferrera VP TI - Focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening reveals a paradoxical remote metabolic response in the primate brain. T2 - Science advances PY - 2026 DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aed4944 AN - PMID:42467769 ER -
Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) is a promising technique for opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for drug delivery, but its physiological consequences in remote brain regions remain a major blind spot for clinical safety and efficacy. To address this gap, we performed the quantitative mapping of brain metabolism following a focal LIFU-induced BBB opening in a nonhuman primate model, using quantitative BOLD MRI to measure the oxygen extraction fraction (OEF). We report a paradoxical response: While the targeted striatum showed no significant metabolic changes, we observed a profound and spatially specific increase in OEF in the homologous contralateral striatum, an effect predominantly driven by the putamen. These findings demonstrate that focal BBB opening is not merely a localized vascular event but a potent neuromodulatory intervention that induces metabolic stress in distant, untreated brain regions, a discovery with critical implications for the safe and effective clinical translation of all focal brain therapies.