Fundamentals & Applications of TUS

Delegate rate: TBA

30 April – 2 May 2025, 08:30

Join us for the Brainbox Initiative Fundamentals & Applications of Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation (TUS/tFUS) workshop, held in person at the University of Plymouth.

Ultrasound is best known for imaging unborn babies. In this instance, short pulses of ultrasound waves travel through the body and their echoes are used to form images, with a very limited amount of energy remaining in the body. Conversely, in therapeutic uses, when ultrasonic waves are focused on a small region inside the body, they interact with the tissue at this point, by depositing energy as heat or acting on the tissue by mechanical forces. When low-amplitude pulses are used to exert mechanical forces, the tissue function can be altered for a short period of time. By focusing ultrasound through the skull, this effect can be used to change the ways our brain behaves, in a safe, transient, and reversible way. This has great therapeutic potential for treating disorders of the brain, like neurological disorders (Parkinson’s disease) but also psychiatric disorders (addiction, depression etc.). The technique is called Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation (TUS). 

The field of TUS brings together engineers, physicists, neuroscientists, and medical practitioners who are all interested in developing and using novel brain stimulation techniques. This field is only at the very beginning of its growth and much work is still needed to understand the effective application of TUS to modulate brain functions and to establish consensus on safety, ways to conduct experiments and standardisation, in order to accelerate the technique towards clinical translation. 

Programme Outline

Over three days, the Brainbox Initiative will be joined by world-leading academic and technical experts in TUS to deliver a series of interactive sessions designed to give attendees a solid understanding of:

  • The fundamental principles and physiology of TUS;

  • The advantages and limitations of TUS, with strategies to mitigate challenges;

  • Safety and efficacy considerations for TUS studies;

  • Practical demonstrations of TUS protocols, including online and offline TUS;

  • Key considerations for TUS study design, supplemented with group discussions;

  • Hands-on demonstrations of TUS techniques, measurements, and acoustic field simulations;

  • And much more.

Our workshop programmes are developed in collaboration with leading neuroscientists worldwide. This event will be led by Professor Elsa Fouragnan and members of her lab.

Workshop Organisers & Speakers

  • Prof Elsa Fouragnan, University of Plymouth

  • Dr Miriam Klein-Flugge, University of Oxford

  • Dr Elly Martin, University College London

  • Dr Suraya Dunsford, University of Plymouth

  • Dr Sophie Clarke, University of Plymouth

  • Eleonora Carpino, PhD candidate, University of Plymouth

  • Dr Nadege Bault, University of Plymouth

  • Dan Phillips, Brainbox

Accommodation

Accommodation is not included in the registration.

 

Register your interest below