This technology could possibly be expanded right into a patient-tailored, non-invasive therapeutic platform that safely delivers vitality with out surgical procedure or incisions for the remedy of not solely ache but in addition neurodegenerative brain problems in addition to neurological and psychiatric problems
Jae Youn Hwang
Conventional ultrasound brain-stimulation applied sciences endure from a crucial limitation: When ultrasound passes via the inflexible, irregular cranium, the focal area turns into distorted and the vitality delivered to a number of targets turns into non-uniform. Overcoming this limitation has required advanced and costly multichannel programs outfitted with quite a few ultrasound transducers.
Prof. Jae Youn Hwang’s analysis group achieved a breakthrough in addressing this problem by combining synthetic intelligence (AI) with physics-based optimization technology. To be sure that ultrasound precisely reaches a number of brain targets regardless of refraction by the cranium, the AI instantly designs the three-dimensional thickness profile of the lens to be fabricated utilizing a 3D printer, thereby considerably lowering errors.
A key function of this technology is its skill to allow multi-site brain stimulation utilizing solely a single skinny 3D-printed lens and a single ultrasound transducer. It concurrently and uniformly focuses ultrasound on a number of brain areas with out the necessity for costly gear.
Experiments utilizing rat skulls and simulation outcomes confirmed that the newly developed technology (TOAH) shaped ultrasound focal patterns way more precisely than standard strategies whereas delivering vitality uniformly to a number of targets. It additionally considerably lowered skull-heating uncomfortable side effects by lowering pointless vitality concentrated within the cranium. Furthermore, simultaneous stimulation of the brains (bilateral thalamic areas) of rats with neuropathic ache utilizing this technology demonstrated its effectiveness in lowering extreme neural exercise and markedly bettering ache responses. Simulations utilizing human cranium information additionally confirmed that focal accuracy and the stability of vitality supply throughout a number of targets have been equally improved.
“The key is that AI directly designs the structure of the lens, enabling ultrasound to be delivered accurately to multiple brain regions through the skull,” mentioned Prof. Jae Youn Hwang of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at DGIST. “By enabling precise multi-site brain stimulation using only a single ultrasound transducer and a 3D-printed lens, this technology could be expanded into a patient-tailored, non-invasive therapeutic platform that safely delivers energy without surgery or incisions for the treatment of not only pain but also neurodegenerative brain disorders as well as neurological and psychiatric disorders.”
This examine was performed with help from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Future Promising Convergence Technology Pioneer Program and Mid-Career Researcher Support Program. The examine, with Dr. Moon Hwan Lee of DGIST (at present on the Max Planck Institute in Germany) as the primary creator and Prof. Jae Youn Hwang of DGIST and Profs. Euiheon Chung and Hyuk Sang Kwon of GIST because the corresponding authors, was printed within the July 2026 difficulty of Brain Stimulation, a number one worldwide journal within the subject of brain stimulation.
Source: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology