The Study
A scientometric analysis of the 100 most cited articles on magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound
This study didn't test FUS on anyone — it just counted which FUS papers got the most attention from other scientists. So it can tell you what topics are popular, but not whether FUS actually helps patients.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at the most famous research papers on using sound waves and MRI to treat brain problems without surgery.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 523 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this shows the field is built on animal work but has real human success in treating tremor, with U.S.
- 2and Canada leading the way.
- 3Top paper: 2001 rabbit study opening the brain's barrier (found in 100 top papers).
- 4Top human trial: 2016 study showed tremor improved with ultrasound.
- 564 of 100 top papers came from U.S.
- 6and Canada.
- 736 papers were about opening the brain barrier, 25 about tremor.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Year
2022
Authors
K. Garg, M. Ranjan, V. Krishna, Manmohanjit Singh, A. Rezai
Related Content
Claims (6)
Two universities — Toronto and Virginia — have written the most popular science papers on a type of medical technology called MRgFUS, with Toronto writing 28 and Virginia writing 15 of the top 100 most-read papers.
Most of the most popular studies on this high-tech ultrasound treatment are done on animals or dead bodies, which means scientists are still mostly testing it in labs before trying it on living people.
The U.S. and Canada together produced more than half of the most talked-about scientific papers on a special type of ultrasound therapy used in medicine.
A medical journal called the Journal of Neurosurgery published more of the most popular MRgFUS research papers than any other journal, while two other journals, Radiology and the New England Journal of Medicine, had papers that got read and cited way more times overall.
A famous 2001 study on rabbits used sound waves and MRI to temporarily open the brain’s protective barrier, letting drugs in without surgery — and this became the go-to method for brain drug delivery research.
Scientists have written the most papers about using MRgFUS to open the brain’s protective barrier and to treat movement problems like tremors — and when they study it in people, they’re mostly looking at essential tremor.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.