Individualized Focused Ultrasound Stimulation of the Brain to Enhance Alertness and Cognitive Performance
Abstract
Pilot fatigue represents a significant risk to the military, leading to impaired reaction times, mission performance, and even safety. Lifestyle factors specific to deployment like harsh or inhospitable environments, jetlag, consistent auditory and visual stimuli, and overnight operations have deleterious effects on natural patterns of sleep/wake rhythms that degrade performance. Pharmacological means to promote and maintain alertness are commonly used but come with side effects and often result in further disruption of sleep/wake patterns that can further degrade performance. To this end, we propose the implementation of a lightweight, head-worn device which uses low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to non-invasively stimulate the thalamus (a deep brain structure) to promote alertness and vigilance in real-time. This novel, passive intervention could positively affect reaction time, enhancing pilot performance, and ultimately increasing military readiness. No other technology on the market is capable of this effect. The clinical studies proposed here offer an individually tailored alternative to traditional pharmacological approaches to maintain arousal among Airmen, Veterans, and civilians.
Biography
Cameron is the Vice President, Research and Product Development, for Attune Neurosciences and a Visiting Scholar at the Northwestern University Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics. Prior, he was a Civilian with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) where he led studies in sleep mechanisms and human performance to improve Soldier protection and lethality. He has over 19 years of experience in successfully merging neuroscience and engineering to develop novel tools and methodologies for studying neuronal, animal, and human activity. He has a diverse background encompassing psychology, chemistry, neuroscience, pharmacology, and engineering that allows him to contribute to a broad range of research and device development programs. In joining Attune, his mission is to develop new focused ultrasound based neurotechnologies capable of translating findings from small and large animal work into human capabilities.