International Transcranial Ultrasonic Stimulation Safety and Standards (ITRUSST)

Dr Elsa Fouragnan is an active member of ITRUSST, an international consortium safety group for Transcranial Ultrasonic Stimulation
Simulated focused ultrasound beam (red/blue) and location of magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurement (white square) overlaid on a structural magnetic resonance image (MRI)
An international consortium, Dr Elsa Fouragnan is an executive board member that is working towards a safe and effective application of Transcranial-focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation or TUS. The consortium provide consensus on expert guides, guidelines and standardisation for TUS to inform regulatory bodies.
 
Establishing an expert consensus on considerations for the biophysical safety of TUS
There are two main biophysical risks associated with the application of TUS – mechanical and thermal bioeffects – the same as with diagnostic ultrasound.
  • Mechanical bioeffects: the risk of acoustic cavitation, tissue damage.
  • Thermal bioeffects: potential tissue heating and thermal damage.
ITRUSST has established recommendations based on existing guidelines from regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM). 
They review existing regulatory guidelines for biomedical ultrasound and consider their relevance for TUS and present parameters and levels considered to be biophysically safe. This safety limit may be higher than previous stated levels but are considered safe for TUS.
Leading the way in transcranial ultrasound stimulation
The University of Plymouth's pioneering research in transcranial ultrasound stimulation has the potential to improve the lives of millions of people with mental health conditions as well as neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease.
Dr Elsa Fouragnan is a leading authority on transcranial ultrasound stimulation research in the UK, and is recognised internationally. Her lab is one of the few in the UK to apply TUS in humans.
This research is hosted at the University’s Brain Research & Imaging Centre (BRIC) – the most advanced multi-modal brain research facility in the South West.
Photograph of Dr Elsa Fouragnan