An ultrasound technology that could stimulate the brain to improve mood and reduce depression is to be investigated in a new £6.5m NHS study.
The Forest 1 device can interact with the whole brain with pinpoint accuracy unlike current technologies such as deep brain stimulation, which can only target a single area of the brain. The device can measure brain activity and stimulate different parts of the brain using ultrasound technology.
It is hoped the device can be used to measure and modulate neural activity across different mood states, enabling the development of a predictive model of affective brain states.
The project will be led by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust in collaboration with the University of Plymouth.
Aimun Jamjoom, Consultant Neurosurgeon and study lead, said: “The opportunity to work on this study is hugely exciting as it has potential to make a real difference in improving the lives of people with mental health issues.
“We’ll be researching the safety of the device, and looking to see if we can improve symptoms of depression. It holds the promise of delivering a life-changing therapy for people with depression and anxiety who don’t respond to medication.”
Professor Elsa Fouragnan, of the University of Plymouth, said: “This is an incredibly exciting project, and we will be working with technologies that could transform the lives of people with mental health and other neurological conditions.
“In recent decades, we have come to learn much more about the parts of the brain responsible for controlling everything from moods to movements, which is enabling us to develop more targeted and effective therapies. The use of precision neurotechnology is a significant part of that, and means we can deliver longer-lasting benefits without some of the side-effects caused by current medications which impact the whole brain.”
The three-and-a-half year project is being funded by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) as part of its mission to support world-leading neurotechnology research, aiming to develop personalised treatments for a wide range of brain disorders.
The study aims to recruit 30 patients. Plymouth University has said that, as sound waves do not travel well through bone, recruited patients would have previously had a craniectomy – where a portion of skull has been removed to relieve pressure in the brain – for a traumatic brain injury or stroke.
Before any work is undertaken with people, a rigorous regulatory process will begin in March and it’s hoped the recruitment of patients will begin by the end of the year.
