Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) can stimulate the human brain non-invasively with millimeter-scale precision, targeting both cortical and deep structures. This new tool offers a potential breakthrough for studying the neural correlates of conscious perception, overcoming the coarse spatial resolution and limited depth of traditional electrical or magnetic stimulation. Because tFUS requires extensive preparation and regulatory approvals, careful experimental planning is essential. The authors provide a roadmap for using tFUS in humans to explore the neural substrate of conscious perception.
Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) can stimulate the human brain non-invasively through the skull with millimeter-scale spatial resolution, targeting both cortical and deep brain structures. This emerging tool offers a promising method for investigating the neural basis of conscious perception, overcoming the coarse spatial resolution of traditional electrical or magnetic stimulation. The authors provide a roadmap for using tFUS in humans to explore the neural substrate of conscious perception, emphasizing the need for careful experimental planning due to extensive preparation and regulatory approvals.
Daily smartphone-based micro-interventions guided by short video-clips and based on psychotherapeutic techniques (viscerosensory attention, emotional imagery, facial expression, contemplative repetition) elicited short-term mood improvements in 27 men over 13 days. Mixed models showed better mood, increased wakefulness, and greater calmness from pre- to post-intervention. Improvements in good-bad mood from pre- to post-intervention were associated with overall mood change across the study period, but not for awake-tired or calm-nervous dimensions. The findings suggest these micro-interventions are a feasible complement to other psychotherapeutic approaches in real-world settings.