Noninvasive deep brain stimulation strengthens reward signals and reduces anxiety in Emory study
August 13, 2026
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ATLANTA — A study from Emory University School of Medicine suggests that a single 20-minute session of noninvasive deep brain stimulation, paired with mindful breathing, may strengthen the brain’s response to reward and reduce anxiety. Changes in reward-related brain activity remained detectable for approximately one week after the session.
The study, published in NeuroImage, examined temporal interference stimulation, an emerging technology designed to reach areas deep within the brain without surgery. The technique uses weak electrical currents delivered through electrodes placed on the scalp to influence activity in the ventral striatum, a deep brain region involved in motivation and reward.
The ventral striatum is especially relevant to anhedonia, or the reduced ability to experience pleasure. Anhedonia is a common feature of depression and several other psychiatric conditions.
During the study, participants received temporal interference stimulation while practicing mindful breathing. Researchers found that the combined intervention increased brain signals associated with reward and reduced anxiety.
The researchers measured the brain’s response using electroencephalography, or EEG. They focused on a signal known as reward positivity, which reflects how the brain processes rewarding or positive outcomes.
“Many psychiatric conditions disrupt the brain’s ability to respond to positive experiences,” says co-principal investigator Negar Fani, PhD, ABPP, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. “This approach gives us a new way to explore whether we can strengthen that response without surgery and potentially enhance the benefits of behavioral therapies.”
Disruptions in reward processing are associated with depression and other psychiatric conditions. Although psychotherapy and medication are effective for many people, they may not be accessible, well tolerated or preferred by every patient.
Temporal interference stimulation could eventually provide another option. Unlike invasive deep brain stimulation, which requires surgically implanted electrodes, temporal interference uses electrical currents delivered through the scalp to influence activity in deeper brain structures.
The technology remains under investigation and is not yet an established clinical treatment. Additional studies will be needed to determine how consistently the effects can be reproduced, how long they last and which patients are most likely to benefit.
“There is an urgent need for treatments that can produce meaningful relief quickly and sustain those benefits over time,” says Michael Treadway, professor of psychology in Emory College of Arts and Sciences and an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. “Temporal interference is especially promising because it may be adaptable. It could potentially be used on its own or combined with behavioral therapies to strengthen their effects.”
The findings also point to the potential for a more scalable approach to neuromodulation. Because temporal interference is noninvasive and may be paired with different therapeutic practices, researchers believe it could eventually be studied across a range of psychiatric populations, including people with depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders.
The research reflects a broader focus in Fani’s laboratory on pairing mindfulness-based practices with targeted, noninvasive interventions. In a separate study published earlier this year, her team found that adding gentle chest vibration to mindful breathing was associated with improved body awareness and changes in related brain pathways among trauma-exposed adults.
The NeuroImage study was led by Fani and Treadway, with Emory postdoctoral fellows Jonathan Ryan, PhD, and Timothy McDermott, PhD, playing key roles in the research.
The work was supported by the Emory University School of Medicine Imagine, Innovate and Impact Medical Technology Research Award and the NeuroNetworks Initiative Award.
