Brain Implant to Treat Mood Disorders Using Ultrasound

A new brain implant uses ultrasound to modify brain activity, offering hope for treating depression, anxiety, addiction, and more, with minimal invasiveness.

Highlights:

New implant uses ultrasound to target brain circuits
Promising for conditions like depression, anxiety, and addiction
Minimally invasive with safety and ethical safeguards

Brain implant technology, using ultrasound, is in development for treating depression and anxiety. A less invasive way to modulate brain activity, this innovative device addresses instances of resistant conventional therapy ().

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‘Did You Know?
The brain implant can map and modulate brain activity with 100 times more precision than an MRI scan. #medindia #brainimplant’

Mechanism and Working Mechanism of the Brain Implant

Although implanted beneath the skull, the device sits outside the brain. It will map neural activity and send targeted ultrasound pulses to activate specific clusters of neurons. Unlike traditional invasive implants where electrodes were inserted into the brain, this ultrasound-based device will allow the activation of multiple regions non-invasively.

The device used ultrasound to create three-dimensional maps of brain activity with a spatial resolution much higher than standard imaging methods like fMRI. Focused ultrasound stimulation has previously provided mechanical stimulation to neurons with spatial precision and total control over brain activity.

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Treating Circuit-Level Disorders and Minimizing Invasiveness

This trial targets depression, addiction, OCD, and epilepsy. Disruptions are termed "circuit-level" disorders, where the entire brain activity pattern is impaired rather than focusing on an area. Current therapy regimens are often ineffective in a fairly significant subset of patients, especially in the case of treatment-resistant depression and epilepsy.

The invasive surgical procedures to treat brain injuries that lead to temporary skull defects were done on participants: thereby, taking care to avoid more invasions. Devices will be placed on the scalp for a couple of hours each, during which time evaluations of brain activity will be carried out. The researchers will then determine if the device can reliably alter mood and motivation.

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Potential of Ultrasound-Based Brain Implant for Mental Health

Temperature rise is an issue since ultrasound can cause heating of tissues. Caution is thus required to minimize these risks while ensuring that the system indeed works. Another important aspect is avoiding the unwanted changes in the behavior or decision-making, like increased impulsivity.

If successful, the technology will be the first opening the doors for greater opportunities in treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases.

This new implant represents a major leap in treating mental health. If successful, through ultrasound-based safe and effective modulation of brain activity, this technology has the power to change the lives of people suffering from depression and anxiety and offer a ray of hope to those without treatment options.

Reference:

Brain implant that could boost mood by using ultrasound to go under NHS trial - (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jan/20/brain-implant-boost-mood-ultrasound-nhs-trial)

Source-Medindia

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