A large-scale online survey of patients and the general public: Preferring safe and noninvasive neuromodulation for mental health

Abstract

While neurotechnology provides opportunities for novel mental health interventions, preferences of patients and the general public, and the reasons for their choices are still unclear. Here, we conducted a large-scale online survey with 785 participants, half of them suffering from psychiatric and/or neurological conditions. We asked about techniques ranging from invasive (pharmaceutical drugs and brain implants) to noninvasive approaches (ultrasound, magnetic, or electric stimulation). First, participants had a low level of prior knowledge but were interested and excited about these opportunities. Second, both patients and the general population preferred focused ultrasound stimulation (first choice) while drugs and implants were ranked 3rd and 5th out of five, respectively. Finally, that preference was mainly driven by whether they perceived a technology as safe, rather than as effective. Overall, this survey identifies safety as main criterion for interventions and shows a preference for novel noninvasive approaches such as focused ultrasound neuromodulation.

Opportunities and obstacles in non-invasive brain stimulation

“…For instance, patients with moderate Parkinson's disease consider invasive deep-brain stimulation to be a last resort (Sperens et al, 2017 ). In a survey of the general public, ultrasound and magnetic stimulation were preferred over pharmaceuticals and implants as an intervention for mental health (Atkinson-Clement et al, 2024 ).…”

“Flow” Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Depression Treatment in a Primary Healthcare General Practice—Depression, Functioning, and Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes

“…Non-invasive brain neurostimulation (NIBS) techniques to treat depression include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (Atkinson-Clement et al, 2024), TMS is an effective and established depression treatment (Griffiths et al, 2022). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is non-invasive brain stimulation by weak electrical currents (0.5 -2.5 mA) (Grycuk et al, 2021).…”