Vasomechanical Treatment Enhances Brain Protein Clearance While Awake
Now that we can safely enhance the brain’s own clearance system, which gradually becomes less effective with age, while people are still healthy, it may be possible in future to prevent these diseases, or at least slow their progression,
said Professor Vesa Kiviniemi, head of the Functional Neuroimaging Research Group at the University of Oulu. Researchers have demonstrated that the brain’s natural waste removal system, typically most active during sleep, can be artificially stimulated while a person is awake using a novel vasomechanical treatment.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, was published on November 3, 2026, in the journal Nature Communications. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related conditions develop through the gradual, decades-long accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain. By targeting this clearance mechanism before solid deposits form, scientists aim to create new pathways for the early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
Combining Blood Pressure Medication With Whole-Body Vibration
Previous animal studies showed that temporarily lowering blood pressure enhances the removal of cerebrospinal fluid and large molecules from the brain. Building on this precedent, the Finnish research team combined a blood pressure-lowering medication with Piezo1-targeted whole-body vibration stimulation. The study evaluated 29 healthy adult volunteers using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging, physiological measurements, and brain-derived blood biomarkers.
The treatment protocol triggered a significant increase in blood levels of harmful dementia-related proteins, such as beta-amyloid. Simultaneous MRI scans and measurements from an MRI-compatible wearable device—incorporating functional near-infrared spectroscopy and direct current electroencephalography technologies—revealed distinct alterations in brain fluid flow and protein concentrations. The results suggest that harmful proteins were cleared from the brain more efficiently than usual,
stated Johanna Tuunanen, lead researcher and doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu.
Medication Mimics Natural Brain Fluid Flow
During normal sleep, blood pressure drops and slow vasomotor and respiratory pulsations in the brain intensify. This physiological shift drives cerebrospinal fluid through brain tissue to wash away metabolic waste. The newly tested medication artificially replicated this process by inducing a transient, nitric oxide-mediated dilation of blood vessels, which strengthened the slow brain pulsations responsible for fluid movement.
Concurrently, rhythmic whole-body vibration activated mechanosensitive Piezo1 channels in the vascular system. These channels regulate blood vessel constriction and have been linked in animal models to improved meningeal lymphatic flow and reduced beta-amyloid burdens. Blood assays confirmed elevated levels of soluble beta-amyloid 40 and 42 alongside GFAP proteins following the intervention. MRI imaging captured fluid changes centered around the large veins situated at the back of the brain.
For the first time, we obtained evidence that brain-derived proteins passed directly into the large veins at the back of the brain, something that has not previously been observed even in animal models,
Kiviniemi noted. Removing these proteins while they remain soluble prevents the formation of solid tissue deposits that are nearly impossible to clear later in life.
Next Steps in Memory Impairment Research
The research team is organizing follow-up investigations to test the vasomechanical treatment on patients showing early-stage memory impairment. The team is currently planning these studies in collaboration with other leading experts in the field.