PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvanced interventions for self-regulation and neuroplasticityView all 3 articles
Leveraging Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation to Enhance Self-Regulation in Emotion and Sleep
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
- 2Brain Research & Imaging Centre, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom
- 3The University of Manchester, Manchester, England, United Kingdom
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This Perspective article discusses the emerging potential of transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) as a non-invasive neuromodulatory technique for enhancing self-regulatory processes, particularly emotion and sleep regulation, in healthy individuals. Offering high spatial precision and the ability to target both cortical and deep brain regions, TUS uses focused ultrasound waves to induce acute and delayed effects on brain activity. We propose that combining TUS with neurofeedback methods and/or specific cognitive training exercises may capitalise on these neuroplastic effects, thereby augmenting and prolonging their impact to support lasting improvements in self-regulation. We focus on the domains of sleep and emotion regulation, where such an integrated approach may strengthen resilience and promote healthier functioning in the general population. Our aim is to highlight the potential of TUS-based integrated interventions for supporting mental health and well-being in non-clinical populations and to outline key directions for future research.
Keywords: Self-regulation, emotion, Sleep, Transcranial ultrasound stimulation, Neurofeedback, non-invasive brain stimulation, neurotechnology
Received: 15 Mar 2025; Accepted: 26 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dunsford, Komarnyckyj and Fouragnan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Suraya Dunsford
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