Ultrasound can make visible what is hidden, for example, to give parents a glimpse of their child before birth. We are now putting these high-frequency sound waves – beyond the range of human hearing – to use for a wholly different purpose: to manipulate the activity of the brain.

Beams of ultrasound can be safely focused at a millimetre scale, even deep within the brain, and modulate neural activity. Ultrasound has the potential to provide new insights into how the brain works and help us develop new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Breaking new ground in such a way requires an integrative, cross-species approach. It requires a systems level combination of neuromodulation and neuroimaging techniques.