About this trial
Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) has emerged as a tool to modulate the activity of deep brain structures noninvasively and reversibly, with anatomical precision. Following the results of a pilot study in which the investigators observed target engagement when LIFU was applied to the anterior limb of the internal capsule, the investigators now propose to determine the dose-response relationships of LIFU when applied to deep white matter tracts of the human brain. The investigators hope a successful study will be rapidly translatable into clinical trials seeking to understand mechanistic brain circuit-symptom relationships in major psychiatric disorders.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Age 18 to 65 years.
Body mass index 17-38 kg/m2.
Fluent English speaker, capable of providing written informed consent.
Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale <8 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 <10
Disqualifiers
Inability to provide informed consent including medical, psychiatric, or other conditions that restrict the patient's following abilities: to interpret the study information, to give informed consent, to adhere to the rules of the protocol, or complete the study.
No telephone or easy access to telephone
Has active suicidal ideation (as measured by Suicide-Risk-Assessment-C-SSRS "Yes" answers to items 3, 4, or 5 Suicidal Ideation-Past 1 month section, or any "Yes" answer to any of the items of Suicidal Behavior-Past 3 months section), or any suicide attempt in the last 3 months
Has positive test result(s) for alcohol of abuse (including methadone, opiates, cocaine, amphetamine/methamphetamine and ecstasy), or substance use disorder including alcohol, stimulants, sedatives, and cannabis exceeding mild severity in the last 6 months
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Low-intensity focused ultrasound