Key Points
- Eight recent conferences included focused ultrasound presentations.
- Use the links below to access meeting programs and abstract information.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) 2026 Annual Conference
ADAA is an international nonprofit organization that provides education and research for the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depressive, obsessive-compulsive, and trauma-related disorders. Its 2026 annual conference was held April 9–11in Chicago, Illinois, with the theme “Innovations in Technology Driving Clinical Care and Research in Mood and Anxiety Disorders.” More than 1,200 professionals in mental health research and treatment attend this event each year.
Focused ultrasound was included in this meeting on Thursday, April 9, during Concurrent Sessions: Symposia and State-of-the-Art Clinician Sessions. A 90-minute symposium titled Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation for Anxiety and Depression: Towards Translational Targets and Human Evidence was chaired by Wynn Legon, DPhil, from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion.
The symposium included three presentations followed by a discussant:
- “Non-Invasive Amygdala Neuromodulation in Humans with Focused Ultrasound: Neurobiological and Clinical Effects in Mood, Anxiety, and Trauma-Related Disorders” by Gregory Fonzo, PhD, from the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
- “Tuning Out the Amygdala in Depressed Patients with Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound” by Amanda Arulpragasam, PhD, from Alpert Medical School at Brown University
- “Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound of Deep White Matter Tracts in Depression: Approaching Brain Circuit–Symptom Causal Links to Improve Patient Outcomes” by Salvador Guinjoan, MD, from the Laureate Institute for Brain Research
- The discussant was Sahib Khalsa, MD, PhD, from the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California–Los Angeles
The Foundation thanks Drs. Legon and Fonzo for serving as meeting proxies.
ADAA 2027 will be held April 1–3 in Atlanta, Georgia.
See the Program Book
See the Meeting Website
Society for Image-Guided Neurointerventions (SIGN) 6th Annual Conference
SIGN 2026 was held April 9-12, 2026, at the Peniel Retreat Center in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. About 70 scientific attendees (clinicians, scientists and engineers), industry partners, and 10 government representatives – including several secretaries as well as other officials – gathered for the event. It was organized in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Association of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists of Zimbabwe.
The program highlighted blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening with focused ultrasound, molecular and flow MRI, functional neurosurgery, global collaboration, and more. One session was entirely dedicated to focused ultrasound. Jürgen Götz, PhD, (Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Australia) and Pavlos Anastasiadis, PhD, (University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) presented during the focused ultrasound session, joining several other presenters from the University of Maryland.
The meeting included the following focused ultrasound presentations:
Molecular and Flow MRI Session
- Molecular MRI for Visualising Brain Delivery and Cell Fingerprinting by Peter Harvey (University of Nottingham, UK)
Invited Talk Winner
- Intraarterial Antibody Delivery to the Brain: Serum-Dependent Modulation After Osmotic BBB Disruption by David Gulisashvili (University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
BBB Session
- Dynamic-Contrast Enhanced (DCE) MRI to assess Blood Brain Barrier Disruption after Focused Ultrasound in Humanized NSG or NOG Mice by Thomas Ernst (University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA)
- BBB Imaging Using Arterial Spin Labeling by Ze Wang (University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA)
Functional Neurosurgery Session
- Neuropathic and Trigeminal Pain: Role of Central Lateral Thalamic Nucleus and Insights from Pilot Safety and Efficacy Trials of MRgFUS by Dheeraj Gandhi (University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA)
Focused Ultrasound Session
- Focused Ultrasound for Blood Brain Barrier Disruption to Enhance Delivery of Lipid Nanoparticles to Eradicate HIV Brain Infection in Humanized NOG-IL34 Mice by Linda Chang (University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA)
- Optimizing Strategies to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease – from Engineered Antibodies to Focused Ultrasound by Jürgen Götz (Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Australia)
- Precision Blood-Brain Barrier Opening with Acoustic Emission-Guided Focused Ultrasound for High-Grade Glioma by Pavlos Anastasiadis (University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA)
“After my presentation, I received questions about immune response mitigation and measuring amyloid levels in neuromodulation clinical trials,” said Dr. Götz. “Our preclinical data, which revealed cognitive and functional improvements in the absence of amyloid clearance, would suggest that in the human trial cohort, amyloid may not be altered.”
“The audience was interested in treatment planning for multicycle treatment and asked about any plans to increase the treated volume given that glioblastoma is an infiltrative disease,” said Dr. Anastasiadis.
A Global Networking Roundtable was led by Dr. Alexandra Golby with the intent to strengthen international engagement and training in Africa and establish and strengthen collaborations between African researchers and clinicians and their international counterparts.
The Foundation thanks Drs. Götz and Anastasiadis for submitting this meeting report.
Next Meeting: SIGN 2027 is tentatively planned to take place in San Sebastian, Spain, next April.
See the Meeting Program
See the Meeting Website
Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 2026
SIR 2026 was held April 11–16 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With the theme of “Creating Communities, Transforming Care, nearly 5,000 interventional radiologists and their associated professional and industry colleagues attend this conference each year.
As in past years, Suzanne LeBlang, MD, the Foundation’s director of clinical relationships, attended the meeting. “It was exciting to learn about an organization called the Radiology Health Equity Coalition, which was launched by the American College of Radiology in 2021 to provide education, screening, advocacy, and policy change,” said Dr. LeBlang. “It’s jointly run by the American Board of Radiology, RSNA, the American Medical Association, and SIR. It will be important to include focused ultrasound in this organization.”
HistoSonics was well represented at SIR with 14 histotripsy presentations, covering mostly liver cancer but also tumors of the kidney and pancreas. The company also sponsored a corporate breakfast symposium with a presentation titled “Histotripsy in Practice: Real-World Experience, Evidence, and Future Frontiers.”
For Profound Medical, the maker of TULSA-PRO, investigators announced new results from two ongoing prostate clinical trials, the TULSA-PRO Ablation Clinical Trial (TACT), which now has 5 years of follow-up data, and the CAPTAIN Randomized Controlled Trial of MRI-Guided TULSA Versus Robotic Radical Prostatectomy, which now has 6-month outcomes data.
The following presentations will be of interest to the focused ultrasound community:
HISTOTRIPSY (14)
Interventional Oncology
- The Hidden Risk of Histotripsy: Imaging Surveillance and Recognition of Complications
- Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound Evaluation of Histotripsy Liver Tumor Ablation: A Case Series of Expected and Unexpected Findings
- Histotripsy Treatment of Liver Tumors: Use Cases and a Pictorial Review
- Planning for Successful Histotripsy: Valuable Tips in Patient Screening and Pre-Procedural Evaluation for Hepatic Histotripsy
IO – Ablation Science
- Radiomic Signal Changes Following Histotripsy Ablation of Metastatic Hepatic Lesions
- Histotripsy in a Porcine Liver Model: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation
IO – Liver Ablation
- Hepatic Histotripsy After Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound; Evaluation in an in Vivo Swine Model
- Insights from the FDA MAUDE Database on the Adverse Events Related to the Use of Histotripsy Device for Liver Cancer
- Hepatic Histotripsy of Central Tumors; Retrospective Analysis of the First 10 Cases for Safety
Emerging Indications for Percutaneous Ablation
- Emerging Technologies and Expanding Ablation Indications (PEF/Histotripsy Increasing Patient Eligibility)
Innovations in Ablation of Colorectal Liver Metastases
- Role of Emerging Modalities: IRE, Histotripsy, PEF
Traditional Posters
- Retrospective Review of Complications Following Hepatic Histotripsy in Patients Receiving Uninterrupted Anticoagulation and Antiplatelet Therapies
- Longer-term Outcomes Post Histotripsy of Liver Tumors: Lessons Learned and Next Steps
Late-Breaking Abstracts
- Histotripsy-induced acute kidney injury following liver tumor treatment: A preliminary report of 8 cases
PROSTATE (4)
Prostate Interventions: TULSA and Beyond
- TULSA for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer: An Overview and Beginning a Practice
- TULSA: How I Do It
Mens Health
- Robotic Assisted MRI-Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation (TULSA) for MRI-visible Prostate Cancer at the Extreme Apex
- Randomized Controlled Trial of MRI-Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation (TULSA) vs Robotic Prostatectomy for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer: Ablation Parameters and Initial Perioperative Outcomes
LIQUID BIOPSY/MOLECULAR PROFILING (2)
Late-Breaking Abstracts
- Liquid Biopsy Detection of TP53, mGSTP1, and mRASS1Fa from Circulating Tumor DNA Improves the Non-invasive Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
General IR
- Molecular Profiling of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Contrast-Ultrasound Using a Novel Antibody-Conjugated Microbubble via Light-activated Site-Specific Chemistry
ARTERIES AND VEINS (2)
Renal Artery Denervation: A Simple Potentially Common Arterial Intervention
- Renal Artery Denervation by Focused Ultrasound and Radiofrequency Ablation
Venous Interventions
- Exploring the Mechanisms of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound in Vein Ablation: Thermal Effects, Tissue Interaction, and Clinical Outcomes
Search the full Meeting Program to read the text from each abstract listed above or to search for your own key words or topics of interest.
Next Meeting: SIR 2027 will be held March 20–24 in Los Angeles, California.
Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics (SBMT) Annual Neurotech Convention
The 23rd Annual Neurotech (Biotech, CellTech, MedTech, AiTech and PharmaTech) Convention of the SBMT was held April 16–19, 2026 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This is meeting is attended by the physicians, scientists, policy makers, funding agencies, and industry representatives who are contributing to SBMT’s mission to advance brain and spinal cord mapping and the adoption of image-guided therapies.
There were 20 presentations that will be of interest to the focused ultrasound community:
Military Medicine and Neurotrauma Consortium: Improving the Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Closed Loop Neuromodulation and Focused Ultrasound by Cameron Good, PhD, from Attune Neuroscience Inc., California (USA)
Neurosurgery Consortium: Cross Disciplinary Innovations
- Focused Ultrasound for Treatment of Brain Lesion by Zion Zibly, MD, MBA, from Yale Medicine (USA)
Neurosurgery Consortium: Updates in Radiologic Assessment in CNS Disease Nanotechnology for Imaging of Intracranial Aneurysms
- Overcoming Barriers to MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound: Sedation and Pain Control in Patients with Challenging Skull Characteristics or Claustrophobia by Alexander Papanastassiou, MD, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (USA)
Neurotechnology I: 3D Printing – Biomanufacturing and Biofabrication
- Fusing Sound-Active Biomaterials and Focused Ultrasound Technology for Deep-Tissue Minimally Invasive Surgery by Xiao Kuang, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA)
Neurotechnology I: Ultrasound/Ultrasound Medical Device
- Development of Bioadhesive and Wearable Focused Ultrasound Transducer System for Long-Term Neuromodulation by Huiliang Wang, PhD, from the University of Texas at Austin (USA)
- Acoustic Brain Sweeper for Accelerating Glymphatic Clearance by Jinhyoung Park, PhD, from Sungkyunkwan University (South Korea)
Neurotechnology I: Ultrasound/Ultrasound in Neuromodulation
- Intelligent Ultrasound-Based Precision Surgical Navigation System by Jian-xing Wu, PhD, from National Sun-Yat-Sen University (Taiwan)
- Ultrasound-Inducible Cellular Engineering in Immunotherapy by Jenny Yunjia Qu, PhD, from the University of Southern California (USA)
- Data-Driven Optimization of Ultrasound Neuromodulation Protocols by Tommaso Di Ianni, PhD, from the University of California–San Francisco (USA)
- Smart, High-Fidelity Transcranial Ultrasound for Precision Brain Mapping and Therapy by Costas Arvanitis, PhD, from the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA)
Neurotechnology I: Ultrasound/Ultrasound Imaging
- A Novel Approach to Harnessing Acoustic A‑Lines to Detect Circulating Tumor Cells in Flowing Blood by Raiyan Zaman, PhD, from UT Southwestern Medical Center (USA)
Neurotechnology I: Nano Neuro/Precision Delivery Across the Neuroaxis
- Synthetic TGF-β Receptors Rewire and Amplify Sonogenetic CAR-T Cell Therapy by Linshan Zhu, PhD, from the University of Southern California (USA)
Neurotechnology I: Nanoneuro/Strategic BBB Control to Therapeutic Activation
- Acoustically Activatable Liposomes as a Translational Nanotechnology for Site-Targeted Drug Delivery and Noninvasive Neuromodulation by Raag Airan, PhD, from Stanford University (USA)
- Unlocking the Brain: Advanced Strategies for Controllable Blood-Brain Barrier Opening by Qi Cai, PhD, from Louisiana State University (USA)
- Ultrasound Platforms for Targeted Delivery, Imaging, and Immunomodulation in the Brain by Tao Sun, PhD, from Northeastern University (USA)
Neurotechnology I: Neurophotonics
- Designing High-intensity, Multicolored Organic Nanoparticles for Sono-Optogenetics by Huiliang Wang, PhD, from UT Austin (USA)
Neurotechnology II: Neuromodulation (Session II)
- Optimized Design of Focused Ultrasound Transducers for Transcranial Deep-Brain Neuromodulation in a Rodent Model by Jingfei Liu, PhD, from Texas Tech University (USA)
- Focused Ultrasound Transducers for Transcranial Neural Stimulations by Xiaoning Jiang, PhD from North Carolina State University (USA)
- Imaging and Sensing Methods for Guidance, Monitoring, and Controlled Delivery of Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Therapies by Emad Ebbini, PhD, from the University of Minnesota (USA)
- Noninvasive Sonogenetics Pacemaker by Chen Gong, PhD, from Harvard University (USA)
American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) 2026 Annual Meeting
AACR 2026 was held April 17–22 in San Diego, California. This annual meeting, which draws more than 23,000 scientists, clinicians, health care professionals, survivors, patients, and advocates, is the place to learn about the latest breakthroughs in science and medicine across every area of oncology.
In the Poster Presentations – Proffered Abstracts, there were three presentations that will be of interest to the focused ultrasound community:
- Abstract 2145: Biophysical Enhancement of Radiation-Activated Photodynamic Therapy (radioPDT) and Translational Brain Tumor Models by Manjusha Muralidharan and Deepak Dinakaran
- Abstract 3341: Focused Ultrasound BBB Opening Yields Distinct, Tissue-Specific Extracellular Vesicle Profiles for Glioblastoma Liquid Biopsy by Andrew Thede, Zehra Demir, Khondamir Imomnazarov, Stefanyda Maslova, Rachel Short-Miller, Sean Lodmell, Kelley VanVaerenberghe, Claire Seibold, Adam LaBonte, Katie Havranek, and Natasha D. Sheybani
- Abstract 4881: Fabrication and Characterization of Echogenic Microbubbles for In Vitro Modeling of Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) Disruption Via Focused Ultrasound by Nathan Han, Nabhan Fakrudin, Frederic Zenhausern, and Jian Gu
Search Cancer Research
See the Meeting Website
American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2026 Annual Meeting
AAN held its annual meeting April 18–22, 2026. More than 15,000 attendees in the global neurology community convened in Chicago and online to take advantage of the conference’s multitude of educational, scientific, and networking opportunities.
Notably, investigators shared some of the soon-to-be published data that led to US Food and Drug Administration approval of staged, bilateral focused ultrasound ablation of the pallidothalamic tract (or “PTT”) for Parkinson’s disease. An article in Neurology Today also highlighted this presentation.
The following 14 abstracts will be of interest to the focused ultrasound community:
- A Case of Hemiballismus Post-Treatment with MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy by Joseph Imbs, Ashwin Achuthaprasad, Andrew Billnitzer, and Jemynna Chua from Houston Methodist Hospital
- Benefit of Telehealth Usage in Essential Tremor Patients in Appalachia by David Fletcher, Sydney Rashid, Nina D’Andrea, Timothy Dotson, Sijin Wen, and Jessica Frey from West Virginia University
- Effectiveness and Safety of Magnetic Resonance–Guided Focused Ultrasound Subthalamotomy and Pallidotomy for Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Abdallah Abbas, Basant Lashin, Haneen Sabet, Moaz Elsayed Abouelmagd, Mahmoud Tarek Hefnawy, Salma Bakr, Mohamed Ahmed Zanaty, Mohamed El-Moslemani, Mohamed Mohesn Helal, Ahmed Negida, and Ahmed M. Raslan from Al-Azhar University (Damietta, Egypt), University of Southern California, South Valley University (Qena, Egypt), Cairo University, Zagazig University (Zagazig, Egypt), Ain Shams University (Ain Shams, Egypt), Virginia Commonwealth University, and Oregon Health & Science University
- Factors that Influence Treatment Recommendations for MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Referrals: A Single Center Experience by Gulsah Yildiz, David Gonzalez, Sepehr Sani, and Neepa Patel from Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and Rush University Medical Center
- Gender and Health Risk Attitudes Shape Acceptance and Maximum Acceptable Risk for Deep Brain Stimulation and Focused Ultrasound in Essential Tremor by Han-Yun Tseng, Bridget Ollesch, Drew Kern, and Michelle Fullard from the University of Colorado Anschutz and the University of Colorado
- Long-Term Safety of MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy in Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s Disease: Updated Evidence from Clinical Trials and Real-World Data by Lindsay Knight, Ian Pyle, Regina Martuscello, Angeles Sanchez Fraga, Gilat Schiff, Amit Sokolov, Mark Grassman, Cyril Ferrer, Katie Gant, and Augusto Grinspan from Insightec
- MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Capsulotomy for Treatment-Resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder by Sanjeet Kumar, Huzaifa Nawaz, Hassam Ali, Rakhshan Zulfiqar, Haniya Shahid, Javeria Farooq, Iqra Mustafa, and Sandeep Kumar from Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College (Lyari, Karachi, Pakistan), Services Hospital (Lahore, Pakistan), and Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology
- Real-World Evaluation of Staged-Bilateral Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy in Essential Tremor (REAL-BI-FUS) by Dolores Vilas-Rolán, Manel Tardaguila, Lourdes Ispierto, Antonio González, Raquel García, Jorge Muñoz,and Ramiro Álvarez from Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol
- Staged, Bilateral Magnetic Resonance–Guided Focused Ultrasound Pallidothalamic Tractotomy in Advanced Parkinson’s Disease with Motor Complications by Katie Gant, Cyril Ferrer, Gaganjot Sooch, Cristina Modak, and Augusto Grinspan from Insightec*
- Staged Bilateral MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound in Essential Tremor: Safety, Efficacy, and Rising Adoption of Second-side Treatment by Ian Pyle, Lindsay Knight, Regina Martuscello, Angeles Sanchez Fraga, Cyril Ferrer, Katie Gant, and Augusto Grinspan from Insightec, Inc., and Insightec Europe
- Systematic Literature Review on Staged-Bilateral MRI-Guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Treatment of Essential Tremor by Angeles Sanchez Fraga, Lindsay Knight, Ian Pyle, Regina Martuscello, Katie Gant, Augusto Grinspan, and Cyril Ferrer from Insightec Europe GmBH and Insightec, Inc.
- The Efficacy and Safety of MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound for Primary Dystonia: A Systematic Review by Meet Kachhadia, Neel Parikh, Janhavi Deshpande, Anagha Shree, Asiya Tasleema Shaik, Sara S, Anis Shaikh, Sanjana Palakodeti, and Anjana Chowdary Elapolu from Florida Atlantic University, Zydus Medical College and Hospital (India), SGT Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Fatima Institute of Medical Sciences, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, and Texila American University
- Understanding Individual Challenges in Treating and Living with Essential Tremor: Results from a Lived-Experience Focus Group by Regina Martuscello, Lindsay Knight, Ian Pyle, Angeles Sanchez Fraga, Cyril Ferrer, Katie Gant, and Augusto Grinspan from Insightec, Inc., and Insightec Europe
- Ventral Intermediate Nucleus of Thalamus Deep Brain Stimulation after Focused Ultrasound for Medically Refractory Tremor in Suspected Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 38: A Case Report by Shirin Sadeghpour, Marc Rosenbaum, and Christina Swan from Rush University Medical Center
Search all abstracts for your own key words or indications of interest. All AAN 2026 content is available to purchase on demand.
Next Meeting: AAN 2027 will be held May 1–5 in Washington, DC, and online.
*The coverage in Neurology Today is titled, “New Location for MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Yields Improvements in Advanced PD.”
European Conference on Interventional Oncology (ECIO) 2026
ECIO 2026 was held April 26–30 in Basel, Switzerland, where more than 1,400 delegates from around the world enjoyed a multidisciplinary program covering all aspects of interventional oncology, the fourth pillar of cancer care. ECIO is put on by the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe.
The Foundation’s managing director and co-director of the Research and Education team, Chrit Moonen, PhD, attended ECIO. “The first presentation of results from the iFOCUS clinical trial was well received,” said Dr. Moonen. “The iFOCUS study also fits in with an increasing number of interventional oncology clinical trials that are combining interventional techniques and immunotherapies with promising initial results. ECIO continues as an important forum for combination therapies relevant to the Foundation’s Cancer Immunotherapy Program.”
ECIO’s first Thierry de Baère Lecture, “Interventional Oncology 2030: Challenges and Opportunities for the Next Generation,” was given by Professor Afshin Gangi from Strasbourg, France.”
HistoSonics had a presence at the conference, with a booth for demonstrating the Edison histotripsy device. The company also sponsored a satellite mini symposium where T. Wah and V. Lau presented “Histotripsy in Practice: Real-World Experience, Evidence, and Future Frontiers.”
The following content (four presentations and three posters) will also be of interest to the focused ultrasound community:
Presentations
- 142.4 What are the Pre-Clinical and Clinical Results of Combination of Immunotherapy with Cryoablation for Breast Cancer? by Y. Bryce
- 151.5 An Outline of IO Treatments and Their Roles in Liver Tumours by A. Kob
- 413.6. iFOCUS – A phase I Feasibility Study of Immune Checkpoint Inhibition Therapy Boosted by High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Histotripsy in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors by. E. Van Dijk
Posters
- P-096 Percutaneous Ablation and Augmentation for Metastatic Bone Disease: A Narrative Review by O. Moschovaki-Zeiger
- P-109 Histotripsy in Interventional Oncology: An Educational Review of Principles, Clinical Use, and Strategies to Overcome Current Limitations by I. Anastasiadou
All content from ECIO 2026 is available on demand.
Next Meeting: ECIO 2027 will take place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from May 1–5.
Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP) 2026 Annual Meeting
SOBP’s Annual Meeting was held April 30–May 2, 2026 in New York City with the theme of “Building Better Brains: From Synapses to Societies.”
According to the meeting website, approximately 2,000 attendees learn about alternative and transformative frameworks for understanding psychiatric illnesses and the use of enhanced and newly emerging tools for experimental measurement and manipulation. Presenters share research techniques and experimental designs they applied to elucidate the biological pathways and markers associated with psychiatric symptoms and disorders.
A dedicated symposia called Quiet Waves with Deep Impact: Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Noninvasive Deep Brain Stimulation was chaired by Noah Philip, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The session included four presentations, which were given by Amanda Arulpragasam, PhD, Gregory Fonzo, PhD, Joline Fan, MD, MS, and Nadège Bault, PhD.
- Tuning Out the Amygdala in Depressed Patients with Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound by Amanda Arulpragasam, Mascha van ‘t Wout-Frank, Yosef Berlow, Emily Aiken, Julia Gillotti, Alison Gorbatov, Nicole McLaughlin, Ryan Van Patten, Stephen Correia, Benjamin Greenberg, and Noah Philip
- Single-Session Focused Ultrasound Modulation of Amygdala Emotional Reactivity and Resting State Connectivity: A Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Study in Healthy Individuals and Mood, Anxiety, and Trauma-Related Disorders by Gregory Fonzo, Lauren Enten, Annamarie DeMarco, Rachel Kline, and Charles Nemeroff
- Non-Invasive Ultrasonic Neuromodulation of the Human Nucleus Accumbens Impacts Reward Sensitivity by Siti Yaakub, Nadege Bault, Noah Philip, Matthew Rushworth, and Elsa Fouragnan
- Transcranial Focused Ultrasound of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus Dynamically Modulates Mood and the Default Mode Network by Jonathan Mirsky, Keith Murphy, Ehsan Tadayon, Ehsan Dadgar-Kiani, Tommasso Di Ianni, Leo Sugrue, Andrew Krystal, and Joline Fan.
There were also four focused ultrasound poster presentations:
- V45. Safety in Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation for Depression & Anxiety by Julia Gillotti, Amanda Arulpragasam, Mascha van ‘t Wout-Frank, Yosef Berlow, Emily Aiken, Alison Gorbatov, Hannah Swearingen, Nicole McLaughlin, Ryan Van Patten, Israel Liberzon, Jennifer Barredo, Stephen Correia, Benjamin Greenberg, and Noah Philip
- T147. Engagement of the Subcallosal Cingulate Cortex with Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Depends on Target and Intensity by Brandon Cooper, Vincent Koppelmans, Thomas S. Riis, Taylor Webb, Sarah Kwon, Angela Valentina Bisconti, Daniela Solzbacher, Ambika Maria, Michael Guynn, Ki Sueng Choi, Helen Mayberg, Jan Kubanek, and Brian J. Mickey
- T340. Single-Session Focused Ultrasound Modulation of Amygdala Emotional Reactivity and Resting State Connectivity: A Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Study by Annamarie DeMarco, Lauren Enten, Rachel Kline, Kale Boesel, Morgan Ouren, Ella Toye, Gregory Fonzo, and Charles Nemeroff
- S196. Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound of Subcortical Structures in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Modulates Subcortical-Orbitofrontal Connectivity by Peter Lauro, Suraya Dunsford, Keith Murphy, Elsa Fouragnan, and Katherine Scangos
The Foundation thanks Drs. Fan and Philip for submitting this meeting report.
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See the Conference Website
Next Meeting: SOBP’s 2027 annual meeting will be held in May in Chicago.
Did we miss your meeting presentation? If so, please email news@fusfoundation.org.