Since Harvey et al. began exploring the effects of ultrasound stimulation on neural tissue in 1929, scientists have never stopped exploring the use of ultrasound technology in scientific medicine, but most research has focused on in vivo or ex vivo animal experiments. Until 2013, Hameroff et al. pioneered the use of TUS technology to stimulate the frontal lobe of chronic pain patients and found that it could reduce the patient's pain experience. The research reports on TUS technology in the human body have rapidly increased, and there have been multiple studies on the application of TUS in healthy individuals, pain patients, elderly dementia patients, depression patients, and consciousness disorders patients.

With the continuous deepening of TUS technology in the field of scientific research, the safety and effectiveness of TUS technology in different indications have become a focus of attention for researchers. In May 2022, the Can Sarica team from the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto in Canada summarized and reviewed research reports on TUS in the human body, and conducted an overall evaluation of its effectiveness and safety. The content was published in the well-known journal Brain Stimulus (IF=9.185, 2021), with the article title: Human Studies of Transcranial Ultrasound neuromodulation: A systematic review of effectiveness and safety。

On January 12, 2022, researchers compiled human studies on TUS by searching the Web of Science and PubMed databases. Through screening, a total of 35 studies using focused/unfocused ultrasound devices to regulate brain nerves were identified, involving 677 participants (including healthy, chronic pain, dementia, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, depression, and other groups). The stimulating effect is correlated with ultrasound parameters. And summarized the clinical, neurophysiological, radiological, and histological prognostic results. No serious adverse reactions were reported in any of the 35 studies, and the incidence of transient and mild adverse reactions was 3.4%. Symptoms included headache, emotional deterioration, scalp fever, cognitive problems, neck pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, drowsiness, and itching. After the stimulation ended, the symptoms disappeared immediately.

This article summarizes the application of transcranial ultrasound neural regulation in the fields of neuropsychiatric disorders, pain management, and cognitive enhancement. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted on its safety, including potential adverse reactions and side effects. Through this review, scientific basis can be provided for the clinical application of transcranial ultrasound neural regulation, and guidance can be provided for future research and clinical practice.