(© Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com)
TUCSON, Ariz. — Applying low-intensity ultrasound technology to areas of the brain involved in daydreaming can increase a person's mindfulness, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Mindfulness calms the sympathetic nervous system and helps you get in tune with your emotions and thoughts, helping you to focus more on the present moment and control wandering and negative thoughts. According to researchers at the University of Arizona, just five minutes of ultrasound stimulation can produce meaningful changes in a person's brain networks. This new non-invasive technology also opens new avenues for the treatment of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.
“Unlike neuroimaging techniques, which can only look at correlations with brain activity, noninvasive stimulation tools (like transcranial focused ultrasound) allow us to look into the brain and develop causal models,” Brian Lord, a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Arizona Department of Psychology, said in a media release. “This is really powerful for the entire field of neuroscience.”
Methodology
The researchers used a low-intensity ultrasound technique called transcranial focused ultrasound (TFUS) to modify the brain's default network. These brain regions are connected and most active during activities like daydreaming, recalling memories, and envisioning the future. For example, people who allow their mind to wander and immerse themselves in fantasy scenarios activate the default mode network.
“This is how we form a narrative about ourselves,” Lord says.
According to researchers at the University of Arizona, just five minutes of ultrasound stimulation can produce meaningful changes in human brain networks. (© Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com)
Having a story of your own is important to understanding who you are. But it's a double-edged sword: if you spend too much time thinking, you lose awareness of the present moment. For example, if you can't control your daydreaming, it's hard to filter out negative thoughts and emotions when you meditate.
The posterior cingulate cortex is one particularly interesting region of the default mode network: this brain region is important for how the mind processes certain experiences.
“We are the first to show that the default mode network can be directly targeted and modulated noninvasively,” Lord reports.
TFUS helps stimulate specific brain regions with millimeter-level precision, and unlike other non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, TFUS reaches beneath the brain's outermost layer, the cortex.
Key results
In the study, 30 people underwent TFUS stimulation of the posterior cingulate cortex. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to observe what changes were occurring in the brain in real time. They also interviewed participants before and after the TFUS session to assess their feelings and experiences.
TFUS reduced brain connectivity in the default mode network, which resulted in people reporting greater self-awareness, improved perception of time, and increased mindfulness.
“The best part is that we're using minimal energy to change brain activity — we're just gently stimulating the brain with low-intensity ultrasound,” Lord concludes.
Discussion and Summary
Targeting and altering a person's brain networks opens up a new realm of treatment options in the field of mental health. TFUS goes beyond mindfulness, with some researchers using it to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Additionally, the technique has the potential to make treatments more personalized for each individual. Instead of generic drugs, TFUS can help create treatments that are specific to an individual's genes, lifestyle, and environment.
