Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Targeting the Amygdala May Increase Psychophysiological and Subjective Negative Emotional Reactivity in Healthy Older Adults

Bianca Hoang-Dang; Sabrina E. Halavi; Natalie M. Rotstein; Norman M. Spivak; Nolan H. Dang; Luka Cvijanovic; Sonja H. Hiller; Mauricio Vallejo-Martelo; Benjamin M. Rosenberg; Andrew Swenson; Sergio Becerra; Michael Sun; Malina E. Revett; David Kronemyer; Rustin Berlow; Michelle G. Craske; Nanthia Suthana; Martin M. Monti; Tomislav D. Zbozinek; Susan Y. Bookheimer; Taylor P. Kuhn

Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science (Sep 2024)

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Targeting the Amygdala May Increase Psychophysiological and Subjective Negative Emotional Reactivity in Healthy Older Adults

Bianca Hoang-Dang,
Sabrina E. Halavi,
Natalie M. Rotstein,
Norman M. Spivak,
Nolan H. Dang,
Luka Cvijanovic,
Sonja H. Hiller,
Mauricio Vallejo-Martelo,
Benjamin M. Rosenberg,
Andrew Swenson,
Sergio Becerra,
Michael Sun,
Malina E. Revett,
David Kronemyer,
Rustin Berlow,
Michelle G. Craske,
Nanthia Suthana,
Martin M. Monti,
Tomislav D. Zbozinek,
Susan Y. Bookheimer,
Taylor P. Kuhn

Affiliations

Bianca Hoang-Dang: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Address correspondence to Bianca Hoang-Dang, B.S.
Sabrina E. Halavi: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Natalie M. Rotstein: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Norman M. Spivak: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Nolan H. Dang: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Radiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
Luka Cvijanovic: Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Sonja H. Hiller: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Mauricio Vallejo-Martelo: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Benjamin M. Rosenberg: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Andrew Swenson: Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Sergio Becerra: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Michael Sun: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
Malina E. Revett: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
David Kronemyer: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Rustin Berlow: American Brain Stimulation Clinic, Del Mar, California
Michelle G. Craske: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Nanthia Suthana: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Martin M. Monti: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Tomislav D. Zbozinek: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Susan Y. Bookheimer: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Taylor P. Kuhn: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 4, no. 5
p. 100342

Abstract

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Background: The amygdala is highly implicated in an array of psychiatric disorders but is not accessible using currently available noninvasive neuromodulatory techniques. Low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (TFUS) is a neuromodulatory technique that has the capability of reaching subcortical regions noninvasively. Methods: We studied healthy older adult participants (N = 21, ages 48–79 years) who received TFUS targeting the right amygdala and left entorhinal cortex (active control region) using a 2-visit within-participant crossover design. Before and after TFUS, behavioral measures were collected via the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and an emotional reactivity and regulation task utilizing neutral and negatively valenced images from the International Affective Picture System. Heart rate and self-reported emotional valence and arousal were measured during the emotional reactivity and regulation task to investigate subjective and physiological responses to the task. Results: Significant increases in both self-reported arousal in response to negative images and heart rate during emotional reactivity and regulation task intertrial intervals were observed when TFUS targeted the amygdala; these changes were not evident when the entorhinal cortex was targeted. No significant changes were found for state anxiety, self-reported valence to the negative images, cardiac response to the negative images, or emotion regulation. Conclusions: The results of this study provide preliminary evidence that a single session of TFUS targeting the amygdala may alter psychophysiological and subjective emotional responses, indicating some potential for future neuropsychiatric applications. However, more work on TFUS parameters and targeting optimization is necessary to determine how to elicit changes in a more clinically advantageous way.

Published in Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science

ISSN: 2667-1743 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry: Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system: Psychiatry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biological-psychiatry-global-open-science

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