An ultrasound “helmet” may open new possibilities for treating neurological conditions without surgery, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The device, developed by researchers from Oxford University and University College London (UCL), could eventually replace deep brain stimulation (DBS) in treating Parkinson’s disease and holds promise for conditions such as depression, Tourette syndrome, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s and addiction.
Non-invasive alternative to brain implants
Current DBS treatments for Parkinson’s require electrodes to be implanted deep into the brain, using hard metal frames screwed into the skull. In contrast, the ultrasound helmet sends mechanical pulses into the brain, targeting regions 1,000 times smaller than conventional ultrasound methods.
Until now, no system had managed to deliver ultrasound pulses with enough precision to make a meaningful impact. The new device changes that. It can hit brain regions 30 times smaller than previous deep-brain ultrasound technologies.
“It is a head helmet with 256 sources that fits inside an MRI scanner,” said study author and participant Ioana Grigoras of Oxford University. “It is chunky and claustrophobic putting it on the head at first, but then you get comfortable.”
Precision targeting demonstrated
To test the system, researchers applied it to seven volunteers, directing ultrasound waves to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) - a grain-of-rice-sized region in the brain responsible for relaying visual information.
“The waves reached their target with remarkable accuracy,” said senior author Prof Charlotte Stagg of Oxford University. “That alone was extraordinary, and no one has done it before.”
Follow-up experiments showed that modulating the LGN produced lasting effects in the visual cortex, reducing its activity. “The equivalent in patients with Parkinson’s would be targeting a motor control region and seeing tremors disappear,” Stagg explained.
A milestone for neuroscience
Independent experts have hailed the achievement as groundbreaking. “This proof of concept represents a fundamental neuroscience milestone that opens the way for clinical translation,” said Elsa Fouragnan, professor of neuroscience at Plymouth University. Calling it “a remarkable achievement,” she added her “heartfelt congratulations to the authors.”
The project took more than a decade, with interdisciplinary teams from Oxford and UCL collaborating to design the helmet and integrate it with MRI systems. “When we started the project, I was pregnant with my daughter. She is now 12. Hopefully, we will see the first clinical applications before she is at the university,” said Stagg.
Towards wider clinical use
The team is preparing to test the system on brain regions linked to Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, stroke recovery, pain, and depression. The helmet itself is unique, designed with patient comfort and versatility in mind.
UCL academics Elly Martin and Brad Treeby led the design. “I created a company to focus specifically on the building of the helmet,” Treeby said. While the system currently requires MRI scans for navigation, researchers are exploring how AI could enable its use without MRI, potentially allowing patients to use the device at home.
Martin added that further studies are necessary: “But our long-term goal is to refine the system into a practical clinical tool, one that could sit alongside or even replace invasive brain implants in the future.”
