Transcranial Focused Ultrasound (tFUS) Modulation of Reward Network

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: 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.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Age 18-65
Have the capacity and ability to provide one's own consent and sign the informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria

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).
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

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Active tFUS	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	transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS)	The sham sessions will include a transducer that is connected in a similar fashion to that of active tFUS, however the cable will not be plugged into the system, thus no ultrasound will be delivered to the participant. Participants will not know or be told whether they are receiving active- or sham- tFUS.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Resting State Functional Connectivity	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.

Secondary Outcome Measures