Cognitive-emotional responses to ultrasonic neuromodulation of anterior cingulate cortex

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is an important brain region involved in cognitive and emotional processing that plays a role in various neuropsychiatric disorders including chronic pain and depression. Researchers developed and validated a novel transcranial focused ultrasound device that can precisely modulate ACC subregions with millimeter precision without invasive intervention. The study included 36 individuals diagnosed with chronic pain or depression who received 807 active and 797 sham stimulation trials lasting 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Ultrasound stimulation immediately altered cognitive-emotional states with an odds ratio of 5.6 compared to sham stimulation, with positive experiences occurring more frequently (29%) than negative ones (8%). The largest effects were observed in pregenual and subgenual ACC in patients with chronic pain and depression, respectively. Immediate responses to stimulation predicted improvements in pain and depression severity at 24 hours.