Sustained modulation of primate deep brain circuits with focused ultrasonic waves
Taylor D Webb1, Matthew G Wilson1, Henrik Odéen2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, 36 South Wasatch Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States of America.
Brain Stimulation
|April 20, 2023
Summary
Brief, 30-second transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) noninvasively modulated deep brain circuits in non-human primates, inducing sustained neuroplastic effects and influencing choice behavior without adverse impacts.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) offers noninvasive modulation of deep brain circuits.
- tFUS has the potential to induce sustained, neuroplastic effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate sustained modulation of deep brain circuits using tFUS.
- To show tFUS effects on choice behavior in task-performing non-human primates.
- To advance tFUS for clinical translation.
Main Methods:
- Low-intensity tFUS (30s) was delivered daily for over 6 months to deep brain targets (lateral geniculate nucleus) in non-human primates.
- Intracranial EEG was recorded during a choice-behavior task.
- Stimulation effects on behavior and neural activity were analyzed.
Main Results:
- 30-second tFUS induced lasting effects on choice behavior (up to 15 minutes) specific to the stimulated target.
- Stimulation of the lateral geniculate nucleus altered choice proportions and increased gamma activity in the visual cortex.
- No detrimental effects on discrimination performance were observed over the study period.
Conclusions:
- Brief tFUS (30s) induces specific, neuroplastic effects in targeted deep brain circuits.
- Daily tFUS application over months showed no detrimental effects.
- These findings support the potential of tFUS for therapeutic resets in malfunctioning human brain circuits.
Keywords:
ChoiceDeep brainGammaLateral geniculate nucleusNoninvasiveSustained neuromodulationTranscranialUltrasoundVisual discrimination
