Scientists Control Monkey With Ultrasonic Waves

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In a new paper, Kubanek describes a procedure in which sound waves of high frequency (ultrasound) can be emitted into a patient's brain to alter his or her state. It's a non-invasive treatment that doesn't involve medications or surgery and has a unique potential to treat mental disorders including depression and anxiety and neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.

..."This way, you can change the activity of the neurons and also the connectivity between the stimulated neurons and their neighbors, which has the potential to return malfunctioning neural circuits back to their normal state," Kubanek says.

The team delivered ultrasonic waves into the brain of monkeys deciding whether to look left or right. With the right frequencies and targeting the right neurons, the researchers were able to control whether the subjects chose right or left. The animals did not feel the ultrasound during the procedure.

...Kubanek says that this experiment provided a simple way to measure how potent the effects of ultrasound are. "The paper shows that ultrasound can produce strong effects, up to the point of influencing behavior. And changes in behavior is what we ultimately care about. For instance, we may be able to correct poor decision-making or at least reduce a person's tremor in the hand." he says.

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