Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39449176›Full record

ArticleJournal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine2025

A Wearable, Steerable, Transcranial Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound System.

Christopher R Bawiec, Peter J Hollender, Sarah B Ornellas, Jessica N Schachtner, Jacob F Dahill-Fuchel, Soren D Konecky, John J B Allen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Focused ultrasound for brain metastases.Neuro-oncology advances · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Building and Sustaining Open-Source Medical Device Projects.IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering · 2025
    Review
  7. Emerging Wearable Acoustic Sensing Technologies.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
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

7 authors.

Christopher R BawiecOpenwater, San Francisco, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7407-554X
Peter J HollenderOpenwater, San Francisco, California, USA.
Sarah B OrnellasOpenwater, San Francisco, California, USA.
Jessica N SchachtnerDepartment of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Jacob F Dahill-FuchelDepartment of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Soren D KoneckyOpenwater, San Francisco, California, USA.
John J B AllenDepartment of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.

Funding

Openwater
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTranscranial low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) offers unique opportunities for precisely neuromodulating small and/or deep targets within the human brain, which may be useful for treating psychiatric and neurological disorders. This article presents a novel ultrasound system that delivers focused ultrasound through the forehead to anterior brain targets and evaluates its safety and usability in a volunteer study.

methodsThe ultrasound system and workflow are described, including neuronavigation, LIFU planning, and ultrasound delivery components. Its capabilities are analyzed through simulations and experiments in water to establish its safe steering range. A cohort of 20 healthy volunteers received a LIFU protocol aimed at the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (amPFC), using imaging and questionnaires to screen for adverse effects. Additional development after the study also analyzes the effect of the skull and sinus cavities on delivered ultrasound energy.

resultsSimulations and hydrophone readings agreed with <5% error, and the safe steering range was found to encompass a 1.8 cm × 2.5 cm × 2 cm volume centered at a depth 5 cm from the surface of the skin. There were no adverse effects evident on qualitative assessments, nor any signs of damage in susceptibility-weighted imaging scans. All participants tolerated the treatment well. The interface effectively enabled the users to complete the workflow with all participants. In particular, the amPFC of every participant was within the steering limits of the system. A post hoc analysis showed that "virtual fitting" could aid in steering the beams around subjects' sinuses.

conclusionsThe presented system safely delivered LIFU through the forehead while targeting the amPFC in all volunteers, and was well-tolerated. With the capabilities validated here and positive results of the study, this technology appears well-suited to explore LIFU's efficacy in clinical neuromodulation contexts.

Indexed as

Equipment DesignWearable Electronic DevicesAdultFemaleHealthy VolunteersHumansMalePrefrontal CortexUltrasonic TherapyYoung Adultlow‐intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU)neuromodulationtherapeutic ultrasoundtranscranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)

Identifiers

PMID39449176
PMCPMC11719763

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.