Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound of the Amygdala in Depression and Anxiety: A First-in-Human Active-Controlled Trial
A first-in-human neuromodulation trial overlaps with basic work on how amygdala neurons join valence-related ensembles and with a developmental study of anxiety.
TL;DR
- A medRxiv preprint reports a first-in-human, active-controlled trial of low-intensity focused ultrasound of the amygdala in depression and anxiety.
- A bioRxiv preprint studies how basolateral amygdala neurons await oscillatory recruitment into valence-relevant ensembles.
- A second medRxiv study replicates a developmental pathway to anxiety moderated by neural responsivity to unexpected stimuli.
A medRxiv preprint describes a first-in-human, active-controlled trial of low-intensity focused ultrasound aimed at the amygdala in depression and anxiety. As a preprint, it has not completed peer review, and the collection does not include its results. [1]
The basic-science counterpart is a bioRxiv preprint on how basolateral amygdala neurons await oscillatory recruitment into valence-relevant ensembles, describing a mechanism by which the same region assigns emotional significance. [2]
Developmental work extends the theme. A second medRxiv study reports a community-sample replication of a pathway to anxiety moderated by neural responsivity to unexpected stimuli in early infancy and childhood. [3]
Why it matters
Focused ultrasound is being tested as a non-invasive alternative for psychiatric conditions where existing options fail many patients. Pairing an early human trial with mechanistic and developmental work shows how the same circuit is approached from several directions.
Editor's note
The trial is a preprint reporting a first-in-human study; the collection carries no outcome data, so the story describes the design and adjacent research without claiming efficacy.