Fig. 2

MRI findings in rats treated with pFUS+MB (a) T1-weighted scan obtained immediately following the first sonication showing contrast extravasation in the sonicated left frontal cortical (white rectangle) and right hippocampal region (red rectangle), reflecting efficient BBB disruption. b T2-weighted scan acquired after two sonications (week 3) showing no significant parenchymal signal abnormalities. c T2*-weighted scan obtained after six sonications (week 7) showing multiple hypointense foci in the sonicated regions, likely reflecting a combination of extravasated red blood cells, microhemorrhagic changes, and venous dilatation. d Mean ratios of T1 enhancement (sonicated/non-sonicated) in the three groups for one (1×), two (2×), and six (6×) sonications. No statistically significant differences were detected (Kruskal-Wallis test, p > 0.05). e Mean T2* ratios (sonicated/non-sonicated) in the three groups showing significant incremental decrease in T2* ratios in the sonicated regions with increasing number of sonications (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05, post-hoc Dunn’s test: ** denotes p < 0.005 and * denotes p < 0.05). Error bars represent standard deviations