A double-blind pilot study of transcranial ultrasound (TUS) as a five-day intervention: TUS mitigates worry among depressed participants

Abstract

Transcranial ultrasound (TUS) provides a noninvasive neuromodulation method that has greater spatial precision than existing methods. The present study examined TUS, for the first time, as a potential depression intervention. Twenty-four college students with mild to moderate depression were randomly assigned to an Active TUS Condition or Placebo TUS (no power administered). Participants completed five TUS sessions within seven days. Although depression scores did not change differentially for TUS/Placebo, trait worry decreased in the Active TUS Condition and increased in the Placebo condition. Additionally, those in TUS Active Condition had an increase in global affect over the course of the study, whereas those in the Placebo Condition did not. These results have significant implications for the potential utility of TUS as an intervention for anxiety disorders or worry-related psychopathology, warranting future investigation of the impact of TUS in a larger sample.