ArticleBrain stimulation
Focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the spleen activates an anti-inflammatory response in humans.
Article in Brain stimulation. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the role of neuro-immune modulation for psoriasis management: a narrative review of existing evidence and future therapies.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Review
- Splenic treg-related immunoregulation in the spleen-brain axis of alzheimer's disease: mechanisms and translational strategies.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Vagus nerve stimulation limits colonic inflammation through distinct neuroimmune circuitry shaped by inflammatory history.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Chronic granulomatous disease with suspected secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a case report and hypothesis-generating rationale for neuroimmune modulation.Critical care (London, England) · 2026Review
- Ultrasound in Women's Health: Mechanisms, Applications, and Emerging Opportunities.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026Review
- Abdominal ultrasound activates afferent vagus nerve fibers and induces anti-inflammatory effects.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- The Neuroimmune Axis in Sepsis: From Pathophysiological Circuits to Precision Neuromodulation.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Review
- Spooky action at a distance: neuromodulation, physiologic distress signals, and limb preservation.Burns & trauma · 2026Review
- Neuroimmune Regulation for Acute Kidney Injury Therapy: Insights Along the Path From Bench to Bedside.Seminars in nephrology · 2026Review
- Neuroimmune Control of Inflammation in Acute Kidney Injury and Multiorgan Dysfunction.Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN · 2025Review
- The anti-inflammatory scan: current insights and future perspectives on therapeutic splenic ultrasonography.The ultrasound journal · 2025Article
- Pulsed ultrasound targeted to the spleen mitigates against kidney injury and promotes kidney repair.American journal of physiology. Renal physiology · 2025Article
- Splenic modulation of the early inflammatory response to regional and global ischemia/reperfusion injury in swine.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · 2025Article
- Effect of focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the superior mesenteric plexus on insulin sensitivity and post-operative hyperglycemia in a swine model of surgical stress.Bioelectronic medicine · 2025Article
- Low intensity trans-spinal focused ultrasound reduces mechanical sensitivity and suppresses spinal microglia activation in rats with chronic constriction injury.Bioelectronic medicine · 2025Article
- Next generation bioelectronic medicine: making the case for non-invasive closed-loop autonomic neuromodulation.Bioelectronic medicine · 2025Review
- EnFUSiasm for Healing: Ultrasound Neuromodulation in PAH.Circulation research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS) activates mechanosensitive ion channels and is emerging as a method of noninvasive neuromodulation. In preclinical studies, FUS of the spleen (sFUS) activates an anti-inflammatory neural pathway which suppresses acute and chronic inflammation. However, the relevance of sFUS for regulating inflammatory responses in humans is unknown. Here, we used a modified diagnostic ultrasound imaging system to target the spleen of healthy human subjects with 3 min of continuously swept or stationary focused pulsed ultrasound, delivered at three different energy levels within allowable safety exposure limits. Potential anti-inflammatory effects of sFUS were assessed by measuring sFUS-elicited changes in endotoxin-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production in whole blood samples from insonified subjects. We found that stimulation with either continuously swept or focused pulsed ultrasound has an anti-inflammatory effect: sFUS lowers TNF production for >2 h, with TNF returning to baseline by 24 h following sFUS. This response is independent of anatomical target (i.e., spleen hilum or parenchyma) or ultrasound energy level. No clinical, biochemical, or hematological parameters are adversely impacted. This is the first demonstration that sFUS suppresses the normal inflammatory response in humans, with potential implications for noninvasive bioelectronic therapy of inflammatory disorders.
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Registered trials
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.