Consciousness remains a mystery to the scientific community. How does the brain manage to give rise to thoughts and emotions? In the United States, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a tool to answer this question. These researchers used so-called ultrasoundtranscranial focused” to explore brain areas that are still little known.
Transcranial ultrasound: a tool for exploring consciousness
This non-invasive technology has existed for several years, but it is not a common tool in neuroscientific research. “Transcranial focused ultrasound makes it possible to stimulate different areas of the brain in healthy subjects in a way previously impossibleestimates Daniel Freeman, researcher at MIT and co-author of this research, in a communiqué. This tool is not only useful in medicine and basic research, but could also help solve the complex problem of consciousness. It allows us to explore the neural circuits in the brain responsible for the sensation of pain, vision, or even a phenomenon as complex as human thought.” He points out that this method offers greater precision than techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial electrical stimulation.
How do ultrasounds manage to decipher consciousness?
Transcranial focused ultrasound sends acoustic waves through the skull and focuses them on a specific target. This makes it possible to stimulate specific brain regions and observe the effects,”making it a promising tool for rigorously controlled experiments.”estimate the authors. “This is truly the first time in history that it is possible to modulate brain activity in depth, a few centimeters from the scalp, by examining subcortical structures with high spatial resolution, develops Daniel Freeman. Many interesting emotional circuits lie deep in the brain, but until now it has been impossible to manipulate them outside of the operating room.”
With this tool, American scientists hope to be able to identify cause and effect relationships in the brain. Today, most studies only highlight correlations between stimulation and brain activity. “Transcranial focused ultrasound provides us with a solution to this problem.”says Matthias Michel, researcher at MIT, specialist in consciousness and co-author of this work.
Consciousness: deciphering pain to better relieve it
The two scientists have already identified several uses for this technology, to test different theories related to consciousness. But they suppose that it could also allow us to better understand pain. “It’s a fundamental question of science: how is pain generated in the brain?explains Professor Freeman. And it is surprising to see such uncertainty… The pain could come from cortical areas, or from deeper brain structures.” Obtaining answers to these questions will allow us to find more effective and more appropriate therapies. “It’s a new tool, so we don’t really know yet how effective it will be, underlines Matthias Michel. But I think the risk is low and the benefits are high. Why not explore this path?”
date: 2026-02-09 20:30:00
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