Ultrasonic Brain Stimulation

This is a research project funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Institute for General Medical Sciences). We are developing a new form of non-invasive brain stimulation using low-intensity focused ultrasound.

The same technique that has been used for decades to image developing fetuses is capable of mechanically stimulating nervous tissue. Intriguingly, unlike present-day electrical and magnetic stimulation, ultrasound is capable of penetrating deeper brain regions that are relevant for many mood and movement disorders.

The long-term goal of this research is to provide focal, safe, and effective treatments for psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Publications

Malave, A., Valera E., Konofagou E., & Dmochowski, J. Modulation of Human Brain Functional Connectivity with Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Stimulation. In Proc. 2025 IEEE EMBS Int. Conf., July 2025

Nguyen, D. T., Konofagou, E. E., & Dmochowski, J. P. (2025). Mechanical artifacts during transcranial focused ultrasound mimic biologically evoked responses. Brain Stimulation: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in Neuromodulation, 18(4), 1094-1096. https://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(25)00227-X/fulltext

Nguyen, D. T., Berisha, D. E., Konofagou, E. E., & Dmochowski, J. P. (2022). Neuronal responses to focused ultrasound are gated by pre-stimulation brain rhythms. Brain Stimulation, 15(1), 233-243. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1935861X2200002X