CITRUS

Advancing TUS with an integrated TUS-MRI system for precise brain structure modulation.

Ultrasound waves are widely used to image anatomical structures in virtually every part of the body, including the brain. Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) can non-invasively excite or inhibit neural activity in targeted brain regions. The main roadblock preventing this technique from making a bigger impact in neuroscientific and clinical applications is the difficulty of steering the ultrasound beam onto the intended target and reaching the desired intensity. The EU-funded CITRUS project aims to further develop the potential of TUS to noninvasively modulate deep brain structures with unprecedented spatial precision in the millimetre range. To this end, it targets the development of an integrated TUS-MRI system that will, for the first time, stimulate cortical and subcortical targets in the human brain.