Ultrasound zaps brain to speed up waking from anesthesia
NCT ID NCT07221539
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether using low-intensity focused ultrasound to stimulate specific brain areas can help people regain consciousness faster after being sedated with common anesthetics. Researchers will monitor brain activity with fMRI while 168 healthy adults are lightly anesthetized. The goal is to better understand how the brain works under anesthesia and whether ultrasound can speed up recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- low-intensity focused ultrasound pulsation (LIFUP)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a way to help people wake up faster from anesthesia or even from unconscious states.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. It is designed to measure brain activity, not to treat any condition, so direct medical benefits are uncertain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 168 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy study participants with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification System-1 status * The participants will be right-handed adults * Body mass index (BMI) less than 30. * All subjects will be English speakers. Exclusion Criteria: * Medical contraindication to MRI scanning; are unable to undergo MRI scanning because of possible pregnancy or currently breastfeeding, * BMI\>30, * metallic substances in the body, claustrophobia, anxiety, or cardiopulmonary disease; or have an intracranial structural abnormality on T1-weighted MRI scans. * History of allergy to propofol, dexmedetomidine, any components of propofol or dexmedetomidine, eggs or egg products, soybean or soybean products, * Neurological, cardiovascular, or pulmonary illness; * Significant head injury with loss of consciousness; * Learning disability or other developmental disorder; sleep apnea or any severe snoring history; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn; pancreatitis or a history of pancreatitis, or sensory/motor loss sufficient to interfere with performance of the study; epilepsy/seizure disorder (including a history of seizures) or stroke (including a history of stroke). * Participants with tattoos in the head or neck region will be excluded from study; other tattoos are subject to determination by investigators based on their assessment regarding participant safety. * Recent food or liquid intake (within 8 hours). * History of drug use, have a positive drug screen, are unwilling to abstain from alcohol for 24 hours prior to dosing, or have a current history of nicotine use. -----Negative pregnancy test result, if applicable. * Potential participants who have participated in a clinical trial using an investigational drug or device within 30 days will be considered for enrollment after 30 days.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Michigan
RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States