Home Diseases and Conditions Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder

Last Updated:
Development Stage

Early Stage

Focused ultrasound research is in the laboratory phase and is not yet available for patients.

Clinical Trials

Focused ultrasound for this condition is being researched in clinical trials.

International Approval

Focused ultrasound is approved to treat this condition outside the US. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating international sites.

FDA Approved

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved focus ultrasound for this condition. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating sites.

Early Stage

Clinical Trials

International

FDA Approved

Focused ultrasound for this condition is being researched in clinical trials.

Focused Ultrasound Therapy

Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive, therapeutic technology that could transform the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with bipolar disorder. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the brain without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces therapeutic effects that are being evaluated. Focused ultrasound energy can be used to increase or decrease the brain signals that are released from the target tissue, with the goal of returning these to a more appropriate spectrum of responses to circumstances.

The primary options for treatment of bipolar disorder include medications and behavioral therapy.

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a more effective treatment than current conventional therapy.

Advantages

  • Focused ultrasound is noninvasive, so it does not carry added concerns like surgical wound healing or infection.
  • Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue.
  • It can be repeated, if necessary.

Clinical Trials

A clinical trial is recruiting patients in Boston, Mass. that uses low frequency focused ultrasound on the amygdala to help patients with bipolar disorder.   

A clinical trial, primarily targeting depression and anxiety, is also treatment patients with bipolar II disorder, in Providence, Rhode Island.

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, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ 

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement

Focused ultrasound treatment for bipolar disorder is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.

Notable Papers

Nüssel M, Zhao Y, Knorr C, Regensburger M, Stadlbauer A, Buchfelder M, Del Vecchio A, Kinfe T. Deep Brain Stimulation, Stereotactic Radiosurgery and High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Targeting the Limbic Pain Matrix: A Comprehensive Review. Pain Ther. 2022 Jun;11(2):459-476. doi: 10.1007/s40122-022-00381-1. Epub 2022 Apr 26. PMID: 35471626 

Niu X, Yu K, He B  Transcranial focused ultrasound induces sustained synaptic plasticity in rat hippocampus. Brain Stimul. 2022 Mar-Apr;15(2):352-359. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2022.01.015. Epub 2022 Jan 30. PMID: 35104664

Nazer B, Giraud D, Zhao Y, Hodovan J, Elman MR, Masri A, Gerstenfeld EP, Lindner JR. High-intensity ultrasound catheter ablation achieves deep mid-myocardial lesions in vivo. Heart Rhythm. 2021 Apr;18(4):623-631. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2020.12.027. Epub 2020 Dec 29. PMID: 33385570

Chang JG, Jung HH, Kim SJ, Chang WS, Jung NY, Kim CH, Chang JW. Bilateral thermal capsulotomy with magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound for patients with treatment-resistant depression: A proof-of-concept study. Bipolar Disord. 2020 Nov;22(7):771-774. doi: 10.1111/bdi.12964. Epub 2020 Jul 16. PMID: 32580242

Click here for additional references from PubMed.