Medical News Observer

Key Points:

• Researchers used imaging-guided low-intensity focused ultrasound to precisely alter activity in the brain’s insula, reducing pain perception in healthy volunteers.
• Decreased pain ratings, changes in EEG activity, and heart rate variability indicate successful site-specific modulation of pain and autonomic responses.
• Opens new paths for pain management research, emphasizing the heart-brain connection in physiological pain responses.

A study led by Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC has explored the potential of using low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to non-invasively target the insula in the brain, a key area involved in pain perception. This “proof-of-principle” study leverages ultrasound waves to modulate the activity of nerve cells in the brain, potentially offering a novel approach to pain management.

Low-intensity focused ultrasound brain modulation study

Utilizing Imaging-guided low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), researchers could precisely alter the brain activity in the anterior and posterior insula (AI and PI, respectively) in 23 healthy volunteers. At the same time, participants were also subjected to heat-induced hand pain.

Results

Results showed decreased subjective pain ratings and affected brain and autonomic responses, as measured by electroencephalographic (EEG) signals and heart-rate variability. They also showed that Low-intensity focused ultrasound to the anterior and posterior insula had differential effects on EEG activity. These differential impacts on EEG amplitudes and heart rate variability suggest that LIFU can achieve site-specific neuromodulation of pain processing and autonomic functions.

Implications

This research demonstrates the ability of LIFU to reach and modulate deep brain regions like the insula. It opens new avenues for investigating the heart-brain axis in pain relief, underscoring the interconnectedness of physiological responses to pain.

References

Legon, Wynn, Andrew Strohman, Alexander In, and Brighton Payne. 2022. “Noninvasive Neuromodulation of Subregions of the Human Insula Differentially Affect Pain Processing and Heart-Rate Variability: A within-Subjects Pseudo-Randomized Trial.” PAIN, May, 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003171. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003171.