Low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound amygdala neuromodulation: a double-blind sham-controlled target engagement study and unblinded single-arm clinical trial
Summary
This double-blind study of 29 patients with mood, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders found that MRI-guided focused ultrasound to the left amygdala reduced amygdala BOLD signal and produced symptom improvements. Repetitive treatment over 3 weeks was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events and significant reductions on the primary outcome measure with a large effect size.
Why it matters
Non-invasive subcortical neuromodulation has been a long-standing goal in psychiatry. This trial demonstrates that focused ultrasound can safely modulate deep brain structures like the amygdala, opening a new frontier for treating mood and anxiety disorders without surgery or implanted devices.
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