We have been awarded a huge £6.5million research grant for an ambitious study using ultrasound waves (sound waves) to stimulate the brain, with the goal of improving mood and reducing depression. The funding will be shared with our partners Forest Neurotech, and the University of Plymouth.

Unlike current technologies, such as deep brain stimulation, which only target a single area of the brain, this new technology can interact with the whole brain with pinpoint accuracy.

Pictured below are the team behind the study: Aimun Jamjoom (top left), Consultant Neurosurgeon and study lead, Elsa Fouragnan, professor in neuroscience (top right), Sumner Norman (below left), and Tyson Aflalo (below right), both from Forest Neurotech.

Forest Neurotech is based in Los Angeles and developed ‘Forest 1’, which can measure patients’ brain activity and stimulate different parts of it, all using ultrasound.

Forest 1 is a small device which is placed on the surface of the skin on the head, which has been miniaturised from a standard ultrasound machine. Over time it will continue to shrink, eventually becoming small enough to be implanted in the skull and placed directly onto the surface of the brain.

Aimun said:

The opportunity to work on this study is hugely exciting as it has potential to make a real difference in improving the lives of people with mental health issues. We’ll be researching the safety of the device, looking to see if we can improve symptoms of depression.

It holds the promise of delivering a life-changing therapy for people with depression and anxiety who don’t respond to medication; this could be a gamechanger for them.

At the University of Plymouth, Elsa Fouragnan, a professor in neuroscience, will be helping with experimental design of studies related to mood regulation, ultrasound and neuroimaging protocols, which parts of the brain to target, and clinical outcomes.

She said:

This is an incredibly exciting project. We will be working with technologies that could transform the lives of people with mental health and other neurological conditions.

In recent decades we’ve learned much more about the parts of the brain responsible for controlling everything from moods to movement, which enables us to develop more targeted and effective therapies. The use of precision neurotechnology is a significant part of that and means we can deliver longer-lasting benefits without some of the side-effects of current medications.

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency awarded the funding to support world-leading neurotechnology research, aiming to develop personalised treatments for a wide range of brain disorders. We’re one of 18 teams receiving a share of £69million funding over four years.

Aimun and colleagues will invite 30 patients to take part in the study. As sound waves do not travel well through bone, the patients would have previously had a craniectomy for a traumatic brain injury or stroke. A craniectomy is where a portion of skull has been removed to relieve pressure in the brain.

Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive, said:

This is the largest grant we’ve ever received and will put us on the map for world-leading research.

It’s fantastic news for our patients and for our Trust. Congratulations to the team for securing this funding.

The groundbreaking trial has been featured in the Guardian after Aimun and colleagues spoke to science correspondent Hannah Devlin.

Before any work is undertaken with people, a rigorous regulatory process will begin in March and it’s hoped recruitment of patients will begin by the end of the year. The study will run for around three and a half years.