A sound wave instead of a scalpel: first human trial targets the brain circuit behind hallucinations

Hearing voices that others cannot is one of the most distressing parts of schizophrenia — and for many people, medicines only partly quiet them. At the University of California San Francisco, psychiatrist Karuna Subramaniam has begun a first-in-human trial of a gentler idea: low-intensity focused ultrasound, delivered through a wearable device, aimed at the caudate, a deep brain region involved in hallucinations. An earlier single-session study, published in Brain Stimulation, found significant — if temporary — reductions in hallucinations. The new Phase 1 trial will give up to 12 participants five daily active sessions and five sham sessions to test safety and whether the relief can last. No incisions, no implants: just sound, precisely aimed.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation