Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a promising technique for non-invasive brain stimulation. By transmitting low-intensity ultrasound waves, tFUS can target deep brain regions with potentially greater precision than other forms of non-invasive brain stimulation.
As the brain is involved in pain processing and perception, researchers want to learn whether targeting specific brain structures with tFUS stimulation can potentially change how the brain processes pain.
In a preclinical study published in Blood, a collaborative research team designed a new multi-element ultrasound device to target specific brain regions in mice that process pain. The researchers used a genetically engineered mouse model of sickle-cell disease, a painful human condition characterized by sickle-cell shaped red blood cells. This condition leads to heightened sensitivity to different types of pain and was chosen to determine if this ultrasound approach could impact sensitivity to pain.
Treatment with the new device showed a significant decrease in pain hypersensitivity, particularly in response to heat-induced pain in the mouse model.