Descripción del proyecto
Ultrasonidos cerebrales para mejorar las afecciones mentales y neurológicas
Las ondas ultrasónicas se utilizan de forma generalizada para obtener imágenes de estructuras anatómicas de casi todas las partes del organismo, incluido el cerebro. La estimulación transcraneal por ultrasonidos (TUS, por sus siglas en inglés) puede excitar o inhibir de forma atraumática la actividad neuronal en determinadas regiones del cerebro. El principal obstáculo que impide que esta técnica tenga una mayor repercusión en aplicaciones neurocientíficas y clínicas es la dificultad para dirigir el haz de ultrasonidos hacia el objetivo deseado y alcanzar la intensidad deseada. El equipo del proyecto CITRUS, financiado con fondos europeos, tiene como objetivo seguir desarrollando el potencial de la TUS para modular de forma atraumática estructuras cerebrales profundas, con una precisión espacial sin precedentes en el rango milimétrico. Para ello, se propone desarrollar un sistema integrado de TUS-RM que, por primera vez, estimulará objetivos corticales y subcorticales en el cerebro humano.
Objetivo
We are joining forces across Europe to advance a new non-invasive technology – transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) – to reversibly modulate brain regions with exquisite millimetre precision, even deep in the brain. As such, we aim to establish an urgently needed novel treatment option for neurological and psychiatric diseases. TUS combines the precision and reach of invasive deep brain stimulation, required to directly target clinically relevant structures, with the non-invasive and low-cost nature of transcranial electromagnetic techniques that are inherently limited in focus and depth. The main roadblock to widespread adoption of TUS in neuroscientific and clinical applications is the difficulty of steering the small ultrasound focus onto the intended target and reaching the desired intensity, with no empirical validation of targeting success currently available. We will develop a neuronavigated TUS-MRI system with advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided application planning and closed-loop application control to enable safe, individualised, and effective high-precision TUS in humans. As such we will unlock the full potential of TUS to non-invasively modulate deep brain structures with unprecedented spatial precision in the millimetre range. The final prototype will be a fully functional device that integrates novel MR-compatible 256-element TUS-transducers (for advanced 3D-steering of the TUS focus) with a custom-tailored 32-channel MR-receiver coil (for accelerated imaging with maximal sensitivity) and closed-loop target validation using MR-acoustic radiation force imaging (MR-ARFI). This novel device with its unique features will enable for the first time the personalized non-invasive high-precision stimulation of cortical and subcortical targets in the human brain. It will be a game changer for both neuroscientific research and clinical application in neurological and psychiatric diseases with the potential to benefit millions of patients.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Convocatoria de propuestas
HORIZON-EIC-2021-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaRégimen de financiación
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedCoordinador
1090 Wien
Austria