Electrophysiological Source Imaging Guided Transcranial Focused Ultrasound

November 13, 2025 updated by: Dr. Bin He, Carnegie Mellon University

Neuromodulation is a fast growing field that offers a wide range of applications for both understanding and treating the brain. Future research for non-invasive neuromodulation will need to elucidate the optimal frequency, duration, and intensity of stimulation for a variety of technologies and diseases. Closed loop stimulation is thus a promising research area that allows for responsive stimulation and real time symptom management. Our project is proposed to develop and test a novel noninvasive neuromodulation integrating transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS) with electrophysiological source imaging (ESI-tFUS) to allow evidence-based neuromodulation for brain research and the management of brain conditions. Despite the recent developments and attention surrounding tFUS, relatively little is known about the mechanisms and optimal parameters of this stimulation technology. The addition of ESI neuroimaging, aimed at providing biomarkers to assess the effects of tFUS neuromodulation, could provide crucial necessary information regarding the neural response to the applied stimulation in real-time. In order for tFUS to be further developed and transformed into a robust neuromodulation technology, an integrated electrophysiological source-imaging-guided tFUS system to allow for individualized and responsive stimulation is needed.

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the proposed ESI-tFUS in human subjects using motor and somatosensory paradigms.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

In this protocol, the following hypothesis will be tested; the electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) will be used to quantify and optimize stimulation effects. We will test the hypothesis that tFUS can induce regional brain activity and use EEG to localize and image the brain electrical activity as induced by TFUS stimulation. Subjects will be recruited for MRI scan and then undergo motor and/or sensory tasks, and during these tasks, subjects will receive tFUS and concurrently be monitored by EEG. This tFUS-EEG study is aimed at exploring effects of tFUS and the use of EEG in providing electrophysiological responses to brain activation following tFUS stimulation.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
80

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • Recruiting
        • Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Bin He, PhD
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 64 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Apparently healthy volunteers.
  • Age 18-64.
  • Willing and able to provide written consent.
  • Able to communicate in the English language.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects having any of the following conditions will be excluded from this study:

  • Evidence of a current significant medical illness or psychiatric or central or peripheral neurologic disorder
  • History of loss of consciousness of more than ten minutes in the past year or loss of consciousness in a lifetime that required rehabilitation services
  • Personal or family history of seizure
  • Any history of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA)
  • Taking any medications that are known to decrease the threshold for seizure
  • Pregnancy
  • Affirmative answers to one or more questions of the provided attached safety questionnaires. These are not absolute contraindications to this study but the risk/benefit ratio will be carefully considered by the PI
  • Failure to follow laboratory or study procedures

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Real Ultrasound
The subjects will receive real ultrasound intervention.
Device: Ultrasound
Low-intensity (Ispta < 720 mW/cm2, Isppa < 190 W/cm2) transcranial focused ultrasound
Sham Comparator: Sham Ultrasound
The subjects will receive sham ultrasound intervention.
Device: Ultrasound
Low-intensity (Ispta < 720 mW/cm2, Isppa < 190 W/cm2) transcranial focused ultrasound

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Closed-loop control of ultrasound neuromodulation as assessed by EEG source imaging
Time Frame: up to 2 years
The primary study outcome is a closed-loop control algorithm to control the parameters in administrating the tFUS. The outcome data of the study will include the MRI data, EEG data, tFUS location and timing data, perceptual (subject reported) effects of tFUS and/or pins, and any reported adverse events. Analysis of the EEG data will be conducted using EEG analysis software, and the customized software to be developed at the PI's lab. The EEG data will also be correlated with tFUS application. The output of our data analysis process will be in the form of quantitative spatial estimation of tFUS activation in the brain using EEG source reconstruction.
up to 2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Carnegie Mellon University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Bin He, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2018

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 13, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 16, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 20, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 14, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 13, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY2017_00000426

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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