Integrated Ultrasound Neuromodulation and Optical Neuroimaging in Awake Mice using a Transparent Ultrasound...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Ultrasound neuromodulation shows therapeutic promise for neurological disorders.
• Understanding its mechanisms is crucial for clinical translation but limited by current imaging integration challenges.
• Conventional ultrasound transducers hinder multimodal optical neuroimaging in awake animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a transparent ultrasound transducer (TUT) for simultaneous ultrasound stimulation and optical neuroimaging.
• To investigate the neuromodulatory effects of ultrasound in awake mouse brains.
• To correlate hemodynamic changes with ultrasound stimulation parameters.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and integration of a miniaturized lithium niobate-based transparent ultrasound transducer (TUT) as a cranial window.
• Utilizing laser speckle contrast imaging and intrinsic optical signal imaging for multimodal optical neuroimaging.
• Applying various ultrasound stimulation sequences in awake mouse brain models.

Main Results:

• The TUT cranial window successfully enabled combined ultrasound stimulation and optical neuroimaging.
• Observed significant increases in cerebral blood flow and total hemoglobin, indicating robust neuromodulatory effects.
• Hemodynamic responses were directionally correlated with ultrasound stimulation duration and intensity.

Conclusions:

• The TUT cranial window offers a seamless integration of ultrasound neuromodulation and optical neuroimaging in awake mouse models.
• This technology provides a powerful tool for elucidating the mechanisms of ultrasound neuromodulation.
• It holds significant promise for advancing the clinical translation of ultrasound therapies for neurological disorders.