Patients suffering from depression, anxiety and disorders related to trauma underwent significant relief from their symptoms after a new treatment that uses sound waves to modulate deep brain activity, according to new research from Dell Medical School from Texas University to Austin. The study, published this month in Molecular psychiatryDemonstrates that the technology of low -intensity focused ultrasound may target and effectively amygdal – a brain region known to be hyperactive in mood and anxiety disorders – without surgery or invasive procedures.
Participants showed marked improvements through a range of symptoms after only three weeks of daily treatment. What makes this approach revolutionary is that it is the first time that we have been able to directly adjust deep brain activity without invasive procedures or drugs. “”
Gregory Fonzo, Ph.D., principal author of the study and deputy professor, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in Dell Med
In the double -blind study, 29 patients with various mood and anxiety disorders received an ultrasound focused by MRI to the left amygdal. The results have shown both immediate reductions in amygdal activity, and after three weeks of daily sessions, patients have experienced clinically significant improvements in negative affect and symptoms of depression, anxiety and SSPT.
“For decades, the amygdal has been a target of interest, but access has required cerebral surgery or indirect approaches by cortical stimulation,” said Fonzo. “This technology opens up a new border in psychiatric treatment, potentially providing relief to patients who have not responded to traditional therapies. »»
The treatment has been well tolerated without serious adverse events, suggesting a promising safety profile as researchers go to greater clinical trials.
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