Image Courtesy: Huiliang “Evan” Wang

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a soft wearable patch that can stimulate deep brain regions linked to REM sleep while simultaneously monitoring brain activity. Early testing suggests the device can help people enter REM sleep sooner and spend more time in the restorative sleep stage without medication or surgery.

Called NEUSLeeP, the patch combines focused ultrasound stimulation with flexible electrodes that record electrical brain activity during sleep. The system is designed to target the subthalamic nucleus, a deep brain structure involved in sleep regulation, while allowing researchers to monitor the brain’s response in real time.

The study involved 28 participants, including 16 healthy sleepers and 12 people with some degree of insomnia. During overnight testing, participants wore the patch while researchers compared a sham session with ultrasound stimulation.

Across the participants whose data could be analyzed, REM sleep began about 43 minutes earlier with stimulation. The amount of time spent in REM also increased by about 16 minutes, representing a 4.6% increase in the proportion of total sleep spent in REM.

The researchers reported that the stimulation did not significantly alter other sleep stages, overall sleep efficiency or the number of nighttime awakenings. The device also produced no significant adverse effects during the study.

The team found additional changes that could be relevant to stress regulation. Healthy participants showed increased heart rate variability following stimulation, while brain imaging revealed changes in regions involved in emotional processing. Researchers caution, however, that these findings do not yet establish that the device can treat mental health conditions.

REM sleep plays an important role in emotional processing and adaptation to stress, and disruptions in REM have been associated with conditions including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The researchers believe the technology could eventually be investigated as a treatment for these conditions as well as chronic insomnia.

Larger studies will be needed to determine whether the effects remain consistent across broader patient populations and whether repeated use is safe and effective. The team is also working with the University of Texas commercialization unit and has filed a patent application as it explores potential applications for the technology.

If future trials confirm the results, a small patch worn during sleep could offer a new way to influence deep brain activity without the need for drugs or implanted devices.