Focused ultrasound is known to treat essential tremor and uterine fibroids, but UCLA researchers have shown that it can also jump-start a coma patient's brain by stimulating the brain's control center for processing information. Conventionally, the only way to stimulate the thalamus is with surgical deep brain stimulation, but with ultrasound that stimulation can be achieved sonically.

The technique is called low-intensity focused ultrasound pulsation and was pioneered by UCLA professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, Alexander Bysritsky. The device that the researchers used generates a small sphere of acoustic energy that can target different areas of the brain to excite brain tissue.

It targets the thalamus in particular because that part of the brain is usually diminished in people with significantly impaired mental function after a coma.
The man involved in the study showed only minimal signs of being conscious and of understanding speech. The researchers placed the device by the side of his head and activated it 10 times for 30 seconds each.

By the end of the treatment, his responses greatly improved. After three days, he regained full consciousness and language comprehension.

But the researchers cautioned that the technique needs to be studied on additional patients before they can determine if it can be used consistently to help people recover from comas.

If the technique is proven to help those other people then it could eventually be used to create a portable device that can "wake up" patients in a vegetative or minimally conscious state.

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