UCLA researchers have jump-started a 25-year-old man's brain using ultrasound. The technique uses sonic stimulation to excite the neurons in the thalamus, the green structure shown in the photo below, which serves as the brain's central hub for processing information.

Martin Monti, the study's lead author and a UCLA associate professor of psychology and neurosurgery says, “Until now, the only way to achieve this was a risky surgical procedure known as deep brain stimulation, in which electrodes are implanted directly inside the thalamus, our approach directly targets the thalamus but is noninvasive.”

With the use of ultrasound the thalamus was able to be "jump-started" and the patient was then recovering from the coma.

The technique, called low-intensity focused ultrasound pulsation was used on the patient. The safe device used was the size of a coffee cup saucer that creates a small sphere of acoustic energy that can be aimed at different parts of the brain to excite the brain tissue.

"Before the procedure began, the man showed only minimal signs of being conscious and of understanding speech — for example, he could perform small, limited movements when asked. By the day after the treatment, his responses had improved measurably. Three days later, the patient had regained full consciousness and full language comprehension, and he could reliably communicate by nodding his head “yes” or shaking his head “no.” He even made a fist-bump gesture to say goodbye to one of his doctors. "

If the technology helps other people recovering from coma, Monti said, it could eventually be used to build a portable device — perhaps incorporated into a helmet — as a low-cost way to help “wake up” patients, perhaps even those who are in a vegetative or minimally conscious state. Currently, there is almost no effective treatment for such patients, he said.

A report on this treatment is published in the journal Brain Stimulation if you are interested in learning more about this procedure.