Summary: MR-guided focused ultrasound, or MRgFUS, presents a noninvasive approach for neuroregulation in treating intracranial diseases, with expanding applications beyond essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease.
Key Takeaways:
- MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is gaining recognition as a noninvasive method for treating various intracranial diseases, with FDA approval for essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease treatment.
- Extensive clinical trials have identified a range of applications for MRgFUS, including essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, neuropathic pain, and focal dystonia.
- The review underscores MRgFUS’s role in functional neurosurgery, emphasizing its safety and effectiveness in treating intracranial diseases, while highlighting the importance of further research to understand its neurobiological effects and the crucial role of neuroimaging in target localization.
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MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) has garnered attention as a noninvasive technique for neuroregulation in treating intracranial diseases. Approved by the U.S. FDA for essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease treatment, MRgFUS shows promise in expanding its applications, as revealed in a recent review published in the KeAi journal Meta-Radiology.
Researchers from the Chinese PLA General Hospital conducted an extensive review of clinical trials exploring high-intensity FUS in treating intracranial diseases. Their search, covering PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from Jan. 1, 2013, to Nov. 1, 2023, identified various applications for MRgFUS, including essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, neuropathic pain, and focal dystonia.
Lead author, Xin Lou, underscores the significance of MRgFUS in functional neurosurgery, highlighting its role as a safe and effective treatment modality for various intracranial diseases. Additionally, the review examines low-intensity FUS-induced blood-brain barrier opening and neuromodulation, emphasizing the need for further preclinical and clinical studies to understand their neurobiological effects.
Moreover, Lou emphasizes the importance of neuroimaging in MRgFUS, stating its crucial role in localizing targets and understanding potential neurobiological impacts. This review provides insights into the current landscape of MRgFUS applications and outlines future directions and challenges for this technology. With its noninvasive nature, real-time target localization, and expanding indications, MRgFUS holds promise in the field of neuroregulation, Lou adds.
