Current state of ultrasound neuromodulation therapy

Abstract Recently the very first patient studies on clinical effects of ultrasound based neuromodulation therapies, targeting deep and superficial brain areas, have been published. Various technologies meanwhile exist, including focused ultrasound techniques (FUS) applying repeated sonication periods of several 100 milliseconds as well as transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) applying single ultrashort pressure pulses in the microsecond range, which are repeated with a frequency of 4 to 5 Hz. Ultrasound based neuromodulation techniques include 2 important advantages for clinical application: (1) Pathological conductivities in patient brains do not have a relevant impact on ultrasound targeting, (2) Ultrasound techniques are the first which allow focal non-invasive deep brain stimulation. This talk will summarize the recent clinical ultrasound developments and current state of ultrasound neuromodulation therapy. Keywords: Transcranial Pulse Stimulation, Focused Ultrasound, Therapy