Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35447960›Full record

ArticleBrain sciences2022

Ultrasonic Deep Brain Neuromodulation in Acute Disorders of Consciousness: A Proof-of-Concept.

Josh A Cain, Norman M Spivak, John P Coetzee, Julia S Crone, Micah A Johnson, Evan S Lutkenhoff, Courtney Real, Manuel Buitrago-Blanco, Paul M Vespa, Caroline Schnakers and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Brain sciences, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
11.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

44 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 79 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Trial
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  11. [Guangdong consensus on integrated Chinese and Western medicine management of prolonged disorders of consciousness].Nan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University · 2026
    Article
  12. Ethical Considerations in Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation for Disorders of Consciousness.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2026
    Article
  13. Review
  14. Illuminating consciousness.Frontiers in psychology · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Josh A CainDepartment of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5788-4693
Norman M SpivakBrain Injury Research Center (BIRC), Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2386-2987
John P CoetzeeDepartment of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7935-3647
Julia S CroneDepartment of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Micah A JohnsonDepartment of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Evan S LutkenhoffDepartment of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1433-5624
Courtney RealBrain Injury Research Center (BIRC), Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Manuel Buitrago-BlancoBrain Injury Research Center (BIRC), Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Paul M VespaBrain Injury Research Center (BIRC), Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Caroline SchnakersResearch Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA 91767, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1143-0658
Martin M MontiDepartment of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
University of California, Los Angeles · USCalifornia Institute of Technology · USCasa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The promotion of recovery in patients who have entered a disorder of consciousness (DOC; e.g., coma or vegetative states) following severe brain injury remains an enduring medical challenge despite an ever-growing scientific understanding of these conditions. Indeed, recent work has consistently implicated altered cortical modulation by deep brain structures (e.g., the thalamus and the basal ganglia) following brain damage in the arising of, and recovery from, DOCs. The (re)emergence of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) neuromodulation may provide a means to selectively modulate the activity of deep brain structures noninvasively for the study and treatment of DOCs. This technique is unique in its combination of relatively high spatial precision and noninvasive implementation. Given the consistent implication of the thalamus in DOCs and prior results inducing behavioral recovery through invasive thalamic stimulation, here we applied ultrasound to the central thalamus in 11 acute DOC patients, measured behavioral responsiveness before and after sonication, and applied functional MRI during sonication. With respect to behavioral responsiveness, we observed significant recovery in the week following thalamic LIFU compared with baseline. With respect to functional imaging, we found decreased BOLD signals in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia during LIFU compared with baseline. In addition, we also found a relationship between altered connectivity of the sonicated thalamus and the degree of recovery observed post-LIFU.

Indexed as

acutedeep brain stimulationdisorders of consciousnessneuromodulationnon-invasivesubcortexthalamustreatmentultrasound

Identifiers

PMID35447960
PMCPMC9032970
OpenAlexW4224312597

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.