Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a plumbing problem in the skull

Alzheimer’s disease begins near the cribriform plate, the portion of the ethmoid bone that forms the roof of the nasal cavity. It acts as a drain for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which helps to clear toxic metabolites from the regions of the brain affected earliest by Alzheimer’s disease. As we age, the plate becomes occluded, and the CSF can no longer be cleared from the body, trapping them at the spot where Alzheimer’s disease emerges. 

Our patented Arethusta® technology restores CSF flow across the cribriform plate, improving the clearance of toxic metabolites from the earliest regions of the brain, curing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and, potentially, Alzheimer’s disease.

The cribriform plate that forms the roof of the nasal cavity serves as a drain to clear toxic metabolites from the area of the brain where Alzheimer’s disease forms. As people age or experience head injuries, the plate gets blocked, trapping the toxic fluids in the brain. We restore the flow with a quick, outpatient procedure.

Image of where the device is implanted

HOW ARethusta works

Arethusta is a drain that restores the flow of CSF that carries toxic metabolites away from the brain. The cribriform plate that forms the roof of the nasal cavity is a natural drain for CSF. As people age – or if they break their noses – the cribriform plate becomes occluded.

Arethusta is a specially designed device that can be implanted in an outpatient procedure to open a drain in the cribriform plate.  Within minutes, it will restore the flow of CSF out of the brain region where Alzheimer’s disease begins, allowing toxic metabolites to trickle into the nasal cavity, from which the body can dispose of them.

We focus on a non-pharmaceutical therapy to Alzheimer’s disease because studies have found a link between cerebrospinal fluid flow, blockage of the cribriform plate and the part of the brain that shows the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s. The science suggests that reestablishing the flow can have quick and significant effects on patients. For more information, read these studies:

“Impairment of CSF Egress through the Cribriform Plate plays an Apical role in Alzheimer’s disease Etiology”

“Disruption of cerebrospinal fluid flow through the olfactory system may contribute to Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis”

“Changes in cribiform plate morphology are associated with Alzheimer's disease”