Sound waves zapped into brain to fight pain – study complete!

This study tested a new way to treat chronic pain without surgery or drugs. Researchers used low-intensity focused ultrasound (sound waves) to temporarily change brain activity in 61 adults with chronic pain. Participants had brain scans and then received mild heat pulses on their skin while the ultrasound was applied. The goal was to see if the sound waves could reduce how much pain people felt. This was an early study to understand how the brain processes pain, not a treatment yet.