Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with schizophrenia. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the brain without damaging surrounding normal tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How it Works<\/strong> Advantages A clinical trial<\/strong><\/a> in New York is treating patients with schizophrenia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A clinical trial<\/strong><\/a> in China is treating patients with at least moderate levels of schizophrenia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clinical trial<\/strong><\/a> in Shanghai, China is using low intensity focused ultrasound to treat schizophrenia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here<\/strong><\/a>, it will take you to the latest information available from https:\/\/www.clinicaltrials.gov\/<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Search for a treatment center or clinical trial near you.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Focused ultrasound treatment for schizophrenia is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arulpragasam\u00a0AR,\u00a0Theyel\u00a0B, Barredo J, Pouille F, Gillotti JG, Greenberg BD, Wout-Frank MV’, Philip NS.\u00a0Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation in Psychiatric Disorders: Mechanisms, Models, and Missing Links<\/a><\/strong>. Biol Psychiatry. 2026 Mar\u00a06:S0006-3223(26)00097-1.\u00a0doi: 10.1016\/j.biopsych.2026.02.019. PMID: 41796716\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prasad D, Jain R, Samal B, Sriram N,\u00a0Drysch\u00a0A, Menon SS, Selner AN, Mossner JM, Rosenow JM.\u00a0Focused ultrasound neuromodulation for psychiatric disorders: a scoping review of clinical applications and current progress<\/strong><\/a>. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2026 Feb 19.\u00a0doi: 10.1007\/s00702-026-03113-3. PMID: 41711827\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amin F, Rasool F, Mahato RK. Transcranial focused ultrasound for precision modulation in schizophrenia spectrum disorders<\/strong><\/a>. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025 Nov 25;88(1):1058-1059. doi: 10.1097\/MS9.0000000000004416. eCollection 2026 Jan. PMID: 41497006 <\/p>\n\n\n\n De Schlichting E, Huang Y, Jones RM, Meng Y, Cao X, Baskaran A, Hynynen K, Hamani C, Lipsman N, Goubran M, Davidson B. Focused ultrasound capsulotomy: predicting the probability of successful lesioning based on skull morphology<\/strong><\/a>. J Neurosurg. 2026 Jan 1;144(1):94-103. doi: 10.3171\/2025.6.JNS2588. PMID: 41072044 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Arulpragasam AR, Philip NS. Quiet waves, deep impact: acoustic modeling of low-intensity focused ultrasound<\/strong><\/a>. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2026 Jan;51(1):351-353. doi: 10.1038\/s41386-025-02191-3. PMID: 40764758 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin E, Roberts M, Grigoras IF, Wright O, Nandi T, Rieger SW, Campbell J, den Boer T, Cox BT, Stagg CJ, Treeby BE. Ultrasound\u202fsystem\u202ffor\u202fprecise\u202fneuromodulation\u202fof\u202fhuman\u202fdeep\u202fbrain\u202fcircuits<\/strong><\/a>. Nat Commun. 2025 Sep 5;16(1):8024. doi: 10.1038\/s41467-025-63020-1. PMID:\u202f40913042\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Davidson B, Xhima K, Cosgrove R, Hamani C, Eitan R, Rezai A, LeBlang S, Philip NS, Lipsman N. A roadmap for focused ultrasound applications in psychiatry: Proceedings of the 2024 Symposium on Focused Ultrasound in Psychiatry (FUS-PULSE)<\/strong><\/a>. Brain Stimul. 2025 Aug 23:S1935-861X(25)00305-5. doi: 10.1016\/j.brs.2025.08.012. PMID: 40846278 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Darmani G, Ramezanpour H, Sarica C, Annirood R, Grippe T, Nankoo JF, Fomenko A, Santyr B, Zeng K, Vetkas A, Samuel N, Davidson B, Fasano A, Lankarany M, Kalia SK, Pichardo S, Lozano AM, Chen R. Individualized\u202fnon-invasive\u202fdeep\u202fbrain\u202fstimulation\u202fof the\u202fbasal\u202fganglia\u202fusing\u202ftranscranial\u202fultrasound\u202fstimulation<\/strong><\/a>. Nat Commun. 2025 Mar 19;16(1):2693. doi: 10.1038\/s41467-025-57883-7.PMID:\u202f40108143\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n de Souza DN, Seas A, Blethen K, Feigal J, Shah BR, Grant GA, Harward SC. Focused ultrasound as an emerging therapy for neuropsychiatric disease: Historical perspectives and a review of current clinical data<\/strong><\/a>. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2025 Feb 12. doi: 10.1111\/pcn.13799. PMID: 39936841 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shi Y, Wu W. Advances in transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation for mental disorders<\/strong><\/a>. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 10;136:111244. doi: 10.1016\/j.pnpbp.2024.111244. Epub 2025 Jan 3. PMID: 39756638 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brinker ST, Qi W, King-Stephens D, Shoham S. Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Stimulation in Dynamic Clinical Settings: Initial Strategy in Schizophrenia and Status Epilepticus<\/strong><\/a>. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2025 Jan 22:S0301-5629(24)00478-2. doi: 10.1016\/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.12.019. PMID: 39848822 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pan TY, Pan YJ, Tsai SJ, Tsai CW, Yang FY. Focused Ultrasound Stimulates the Prefrontal Cortex and Prevents MK-801-Induced Psychiatric Symptoms of Schizophrenia in Rats<\/strong><\/a>. Schizophr Bull. 2023 Jun 11:sbad078. doi: 10.1093\/schbul\/sbad078. PMID: 37301986 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hugdahl K, Sommer IE. Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia From a Levels of Explanation Perspective<\/strong><\/a>. Schizophr Bull. 2018 Feb 15;44(2):234-241. doi: 10.1093\/schbul\/sbx142.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces neuromodulative therapeutic effects that are being evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>The primary options for treatment of schizophrenia include medication.
For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive – and perhaps more effective – alternative to conventional therapy. Focused ultrasound carries less risk of complications \u2013 such as surgical wound healing or infection \u2013 at a lower cost. It can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary. While significant work has been accomplished, there is still much to be done before this technology will be widely available.<\/p>\n\n\n\nClinical Trials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Find a Treatment Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Notable Papers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n