Effects of transcranial ultrasound stimulation on stroke recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical and clinical evidence

ObjectiveThis systematic review and meta-analysis aim to summarize and analyze the available evidence of non-invasive transcranial ultrasound stimulation on stroke recovery in stroke patients and stroke animal models. Data SourcesPubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles from database inception to October 31, 2024. Study SelectionThe inclusion criteria were randomized controlled human trials and controlled animal studies, which included trials exploring the transcranial ultrasound stimulation effects toward clinical and pre-clinical, neuroimaging, neurophysiological, and biochemical outcomes. The research identified 463 potential articles with 5 human studies and 13 animal studies included. ResultThe data indicates that transcranial ultrasound stimulation is effective in supporting stroke recovery, especially the motor functions. However, the results are inhomogeneous across studies: (1) transcranial ultrasound stimulation induce greater effects if applied together with other therapies, and (2) apply transcranial ultrasound stimulation at different time delay or different therapy time induce different effects on functional motor ability. ConclusionEvidence suggests that transcranial ultrasound stimulation is a promising intervention in improving daily lives of stroke patients or animals. While further research is encouraged to prove the effect sizes in stroke patients.