Ultrasound Waves to the Brain May Alleviate Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

Reported by Kokcha News Agency:
A new study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry has provided the first evidence that focused ultrasound waves directed at the brain can alleviate symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Led by psychiatrist Gregory A. Fonzo from the University of Texas Dell Medical School, the research team focused on the amygdala, the brain region responsible for emotion regulation, aiming to reduce its overactivity. Current treatments like medication and talk therapy are not always effective for every patient, making it crucial to develop new methods that directly target deeper brain regions.

Precise Intervention in Deep Brain Regions
Existing brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, typically affect surface-level areas. However, focused ultrasound can directly and precisely stimulate deeper brain regions like the amygdala. In the first phase of the study, 29 individuals with mental health issues and 23 healthy adults underwent both real and placebo (sham) ultrasound sessions. Results showed a significant reduction in amygdala activity in those who received real ultrasound treatment.

The reduction was more pronounced in participants with high emotional stress, suggesting that the method may be more effective for individuals with severe symptoms. The ultrasound treatment not only affected the amygdala but also induced changes in other emotion-regulating brain regions, such as the hippocampus, insula, and prefrontal cortex.

Three Weeks of Treatment Show Promise
In the second phase of the study, volunteers with mental health issues received 15 treatment sessions over three weeks, with sessions conducted every weekday. No serious side effects were reported during the treatment; the most common effects were mild headaches, dizziness, or tingling, which typically occurred during the first session.

After the sessions, participants showed moderate to high levels of improvement in their overall emotional state. Positive changes were also reported in measures of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and quality of life. Notably, there was a significant calming effect in the amygdala in response to anger-inducing images, demonstrating the treatment’s effectiveness at the brain level.

Scientists Remain Cautious
Researchers emphasize that while the results are promising, the study is still in its early stages. The lack of a control group in the three-week treatment phase makes it difficult to rule out placebo effects. Additionally, the number of participants in the experiments was relatively small, and further research is needed to determine which patient groups with different mental health conditions may benefit the most.

Fonzo highlights that this method needs to be tested in larger, placebo-controlled clinical trials in the future. Nevertheless, this study is the first to show that focused ultrasound can directly affect the amygdala and alleviate symptoms, opening the door to new treatment approaches that can intervene in deep brain regions without causing harm.