Brain-Focused Ultrasound Therapy: Current Applications and Future Prospects

Abstract

Interventional therapies to address brain disorders carry out an additional risk due to the central nervous system’s difficult access and intrinsic complexity. Focused ultrasound therapy (FUT) is an incision-free, minimally invasive procedure that employs sound waves to produce either thermal ablation or neuromodulation according to the waveform intensity. Despite the growing evidence of the benefits and advantages of FUT, many of its potential applications have not been explored in their entirety. The mechanism of action of Focused Ultrasound involves the generation of mechanical and thermal effects on the target tissue. Magnetic resonance-guided is the most common method for delivery of FUT in the brain. Most benefits of brain FUT can be attributed to its ability to ablate target tissue or modulate neuronal activity. However, this technology can also be used to open, temporarily and reversibly, the blood-brain barrier to allow the delivery of medications directly to the affected tissue. Currently, there are few FDA-approved brain FUT applications, including the treatment of essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease tremor, and other kinetic disorders. However, several other therapeutic applications are in the early stages of research, such as epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and utilizing FUT for the local delivery of drugs. This review aims to highlight some of the most significant present and future applications of focused ultrasound therapy in neurological conditions. Considering its apparent safety profile and efficacy, this emerging technology could become a feasible therapeutic alternative for multiple nervous system disorders.