Vermont mother seeks experimental ultrasound treatment for daughter's addiction
Linda McNulty pursued a focused-ultrasound study at West Virginia University after her daughter Erin, a long-time meth user, was located in Burlington.
Erin McNulty, who had struggled with methamphetamine addiction for years, was discovered in a Burlington hotel and brought home by her mother, Linda, who had been searching for her for weeks. A 60 Minutes segment about a focused-ultrasound technique for substance-use disorders prompted Linda to seek the experimental protocol being run at West Virginia University. Erin traveled to the Center for Hope and Healing in Morgantown and enrolled in the study in April 2024, where she first received a sham (placebo) ultrasound session.
After a period of intense cravings, she was invited back in January 2025 for a genuine ultrasound procedure aimed at the brain’s nucleus accumbens. The trial, overseen by neurosurgeon Ali Rezai, has so far treated 47 participants, with early data from the first 20 showing substantial reductions in self-reported cravings. Researchers continue to monitor safety and efficacy as the study expands to additional sites.
Why it matters
It shows how non-invasive brain stimulation is being explored as a new option for treating severe addiction.
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