HealthyNCT05986019
Transcranial Focused Ultrasound (tFUS) Modulation of Reward Network
A study testing transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) in people with Healthy, run by Medical University of South Carolina at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Aim: Evaluate whether sonicating the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) with transcranial focused ultrasound modifies functional connectivity between the NAc and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy
- What is being tested?
- transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 10 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 25 Jul 2023to 27 Jun 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18-65
- Have the capacity and ability to provide one's own consent and sign the informed consent document
Who cannot join
- Contraindicated for MRI.
- Any current or recent untreated medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions
- Metal implant devices in the head, heart, or neck.
- History of brain surgery.
- History of myocardial infarction or arrhythmia, bradycardia.
- Personal or family history of seizure or epilepsy or personal use of medications that substantially reduce seizure threshold (e.g., olanzapine, chlorpromazine, lithium).
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- Personal history of head injury, concussion, or self-report of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.
- Individuals suffering from frequent/severe headaches.
- Individuals with a reported history of psychosis or mania, or individuals who are actively manic or psychotic.
- Regular or recent pain medication use
- Moderate to severe alcohol use (>3 drinks/day) or illicit substance use (urine confirmed).
- Persons who are pregnant or lactating
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Medical University of South Carolina Institute of Psychiatry
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425
About this study
Official title: Evaluating the Effects of Transcranial Focused Ultrasound (tFUS) on Fronto-striatal Resting State Functional Connectivity in Healthy Individuals
Aim: Evaluate whether sonicating the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) with transcranial focused ultrasound modifies functional connectivity between the NAc and the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
In this single visit, open-label pilot trial, we plan to evaluate whether transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS), delivered to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) within the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner will impact resting state functional connectivity between the NAc and functionally connected brain regions like the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in up to 10 healthy individuals.
HYPOTHESIS : tFUS will reduce prefrontal cortex (PFC)-NAc functional connectivity, in healthy individuals. We will investigate this hypothesis by administering tFUS within to MRI scanner to healthy individuals and conduct resting state functional neuroimaging before- and after the tFUS stimulation.
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Being tested
- transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)Device
Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a promising new technology that is both noninvasive and may be focally applied to deep brain targets. tFUS utilizes transducers which contain piezoelectric elements to produce pulses of ultrasonic waves that summate deep in the brain. Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) uses a single transducer fixed in a head-worn apparatus on the scalp to produce ultrasonic waves deep into the brain.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Active tFUS | Experimental | tFUS will be administered within the MRI scanner. Participants receive two, 10-min sessions of active tFUS spread 10 min apart targeting the nucleus accumbens. Receives: Device: transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) |
| Sham tFUS | Sham comparator | No ultrasound will be delivered to the participant during the experiment. Participants will not know or be told whether they are receiving active- or sham- tFUS. Receives: Device: transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Resting State Functional Connectivity
The main outcomes of this study are brain imaging related. Using a neuroimaging technique called resting state functional connectivity, which is a statistical dependence between time series of electro-physiological activity and (de)oxygenated blood levels in distinct regions of the brain. Modularity is measured on a -1 to 1 scale, with higher scores indicating stronger community structure, or a stronger tendency of clusters of brain regions to separate into distinct, highly interconnected networks with sparse connections across networks. The optimal modularity value depends on the context. For example, during complex tasks lower modularity is better, while during basic, automatic tasks higher modularity is better.
Measured: 24 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Aug 2023
- Study start25 Jul 2023
- Primary completion6 Oct 2023
- Study completion27 Jun 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for HealthyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Medical University of South CarolinaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Active or Sham tFUS
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05986019
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro00127562
- Status last verified
- Apr 2025
- First submitted
- 31 Jul 2023
- Last updated
- 6 Apr 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Apr 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Evaluating the Effects of Transcranial Focused Ultrasound (tFUS) on Fronto-striatal Resting State Functional Connectivity in Healthy Individuals
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05986019
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Pro00127562
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Medical University of South CarolinaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 25 Jul 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 6 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 27 Jun 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 Aug 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 6 Apr 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Aim: Evaluate whether sonicating the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) with transcranial focused ultrasound modifies functional connectivity between the NAc and the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
In this single visit, open-label pilot trial, we plan to evaluate whether transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS), delivered to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) within the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner will impact resting state functional connectivity between the NAc and functionally connected brain regions like the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in up to 10 healthy individuals.
HYPOTHESIS : tFUS will reduce prefrontal cortex (PFC)-NAc functional connectivity, in healthy individuals. We will investigate this hypothesis by administering tFUS within to MRI scanner to healthy individuals and conduct resting state functional neuroimaging before- and after the tFUS stimulation.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Active or Sham tFUS
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Active tFUS | Experimental | Device: transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)tFUS will be administered within the MRI scanner. Participants receive two, 10-min sessions of active tFUS spread 10 min apart targeting the nucleus accumbens. |
| Sham tFUS | Sham comparator | Device: transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)No ultrasound will be delivered to the participant during the experiment. Participants will not know or be told whether they are receiving active- or sham- tFUS. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Age 18-65
- Have the capacity and ability to provide one's own consent and sign the informed consent document
Key exclusion criteria (12 listed)
- Contraindicated for MRI.
- Any current or recent untreated medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions
- Metal implant devices in the head, heart, or neck.
- History of brain surgery.
- History of myocardial infarction or arrhythmia, bradycardia.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a promising new technology that is both noninvasive and may be focally applied to deep brain targets. tFUS utilizes transducers which contain piezoelectric elements to produce pulses of ultrasonic waves that summate deep in the brain. Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) uses a single transducer fixed in a head-worn apparatus on the scalp to produce ultrasonic waves deep into the brain. | Device | Active tFUS, Sham tFUS |
Primary outcome
Resting State Functional Connectivity
Time frame: 24 minutes
The main outcomes of this study are brain imaging related. Using a neuroimaging technique called resting state functional connectivity, which is a statistical dependence between time series of electro-physiological activity and (de)oxygenated blood levels in distinct regions of the brain. Modularity is measured on a -1 to 1 scale, with higher scores indicating stronger community structure, or a stronger tendency of clusters of brain regions to separate into distinct, highly interconnected networks with sparse connections across networks. The optimal modularity value depends on the context. For example, during complex tasks lower modularity is better, while during basic, automatic tasks higher modularity is better.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Apr 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) in people with Healthy, run by Medical University of South Carolina at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 12 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Apr 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 6 Apr 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Resting State Functional Connectivity (time frame: 24 minutes). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Apr 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.