New research led by the University of Plymouth, with partners at universities and healthcare facilities in the UK and USA, has found that targeted ultrasound can be used to change the function of a deep region of the human brain. Specifically, it can be used to target the nucleus accumbens, a tiny element of the human brain triggered when we experience something enjoyable, and used to help us learn behaviours that lead to rewards. With surgical treatments currently the only option to target this area of the brain, those behind the study believe it marks a turning point for neurotechnology, showing that a non-invasive ultrasound approach can influence behaviour and may one day help restore mental balance.

Researchers from Saarland University and the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems have, for the first time, shown that the reactions of humans and large language models (LLMs) to complex or misleading program code significantly align, by comparing brain activity of study participants with model uncertainty.