Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a form of

focused ultrasound High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), or MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MR-guided focused ultrasound ablation), is an incisionless therapeutic technique that uses non-ionizing ultrasonic waves to heat or ablate tissue. HIFU can be us ...

(FUS) which is being investigated for the potential non-invasive treatment of

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, mood, emotion, and behavior. Initial psychiatric assessment of ...

and

neurological disorder Neurological disorders represent a complex array of medical conditions that fundamentally disrupt the functioning of the nervous system. These disorders affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerve networks, presenting unique diagnosis, treatment, and ...

s. It differs from other non-invasive brain stimulation methods such as

magnetic Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other. Because both electric currents and magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, m ...

(

transcranial magnetic stimulation Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive neurostimulation technique in which a changing magnetic field is used to induce an electric current in a targeted area of the brain through electromagnetic induction. A device called a st ...

or TMS) and

electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

(

transcranial direct-current stimulation Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of neuromodulation that uses constant, low direct current delivered via electrodes on the head. This type of neurotherapy was originally developed to help patients with brain injuries or ne ...

or tDCS) in that it has higher

spatial resolution In physics and geosciences, the term spatial resolution refers to distance between independent measurements, or the physical dimension that represents a pixel of the image. While in some instruments, like cameras and telescopes, spatial resoluti ...

and precision (millimetric) and is able to reach deep brain structures. Depending on the parameters, tFUS can inhibit, stimulate, and even

ablate Ablation ( – removal) is the removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosive processes, or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, including spacecraft material for ascent and ...

brain tissue. Only a handful of

clinical studies Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

of tFUS for psychiatric conditions have been conducted as of 2024.

References

Experimental medical treatments Neurostimulation Neurotechnology Ultrasound {{compu-neuro-stub