低强度聚焦超声用于非侵入性和可逆性深部脑神经元调节——精神病学研究的范式转变
Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Non-invasive and Reversible Deep Brain Neuromodulation-A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research.
作者信息
Arulpragasam Amanda R, van 't Wout-Frank Mascha, Barredo Jennifer, Faucher Christiana R, Greenberg Benjamin D, Philip Noah S
机构信息
VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, VA Providence Healthcare System, Providence, RI, United States.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
出版信息
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Feb 24;13:825802. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.825802. eCollection 2022.
This article describes an emerging non-invasive neuromodulatory technology, called low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU). This technology is potentially paradigm shifting as it can deliver non-invasive and reversible deep brain neuromodulation through acoustic sonication, at millimeter precision. Low intensity focused ultrasound's spatial precision, yet non-invasive nature sets it apart from current technologies, such as transcranial magnetic or electrical stimulation and deep brain stimulation. Additionally, its reversible effects allow for the causal study of deep brain regions implicated in psychiatric illness. Studies to date have demonstrated that LIFU can safely modulate human brain activity at cortical and subcortical levels. Due to its novelty, most researchers and clinicians are not aware of the potential applications and promise of this technique, underscoring the need for foundational papers to introduce the community to LIFU. This mini-review and synthesis of recent advances examines several key papers on LIFU administered to humans, describes the population under study, parameters used, and relevant findings that may guide future research. We conclude with a concise overview of some of the more pressing questions to date, considerations when interpreting new data from an emerging field, and highlight the opportunities and challenges in this exciting new area of study.
本文介绍了一种新兴的非侵入性神经调节技术,称为低强度聚焦超声(LIFU)。这项技术可能会带来范式转变,因为它可以通过声波照射实现非侵入性且可逆的深部脑区神经调节,精度可达毫米级。低强度聚焦超声的空间精度及其非侵入性使其有别于当前的技术,如经颅磁刺激或电刺激以及深部脑刺激。此外,其可逆效应有助于对涉及精神疾病的深部脑区进行因果研究。迄今为止的研究表明,低强度聚焦超声能够安全地调节皮质和皮质下水平的人类大脑活动。由于其新颖性,大多数研究人员和临床医生并不了解这项技术的潜在应用和前景,这凸显了需要有基础论文向学界介绍低强度聚焦超声。这篇近期进展的小型综述与综合分析考察了几篇关于对人类施用低强度聚焦超声的关键论文,描述了研究对象、所使用的参数以及可能指导未来研究的相关发现。我们最后简要概述了迄今为止一些更为紧迫的问题、解读新兴领域新数据时的注意事项,并强调了这个令人兴奋的新研究领域中的机遇与挑战。