Transcranial focused ultrasound selectively increases perfusion and modulates functional connectivity of deep brain regions in humans

Frontiers in Neural Circuits

Neural Circuits

Rustin Berlow¹  Sergio Becerra²  Sabrina E. Halavi²  Natalie Rotstein²  Bianca H. Dang²  Susan Bookheimer²  Nolan Dang²  Malina R. Revett²  Taylor Kuhn²  Sonja Hiller²  David Kronemyer²  Martin M. Monti³  Nanthia Suthana⁴  Norman M. Spivak⁵  Michael Sun⁶  Benjamin M. Rosenberg⁷  Andrew Swenson⁸  Luka Cvijanovic⁸ 

[1] American Brain Stimulation Clinic, Del Mar, CA, United States;Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States;Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;

关键词: transcranial focused ultrasound;    functional connectivity;    brain perfusion;    amygdala;    entorhina cortex;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fncir.2023.1120410

 received in 2022-12-09, accepted in 2023-03-14,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLow intensity, transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a re-emerging brain stimulation technique with the unique capability of reaching deep brain structures non-invasively.Objective/HypothesisWe sought to demonstrate that tFUS can selectively and accurately target and modulate deep brain structures in humans important for emotional functioning as well as learning and memory. We hypothesized that tFUS would result in significant longitudinal changes in perfusion in the targeted brain region as well as selective modulation of BOLD activity and BOLD-based functional connectivity of the target region.MethodsIn this study, we collected MRI before, simultaneously during, and after tFUS of two deep brain structures on different days in sixteen healthy adults each serving as their own control. Using longitudinal arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI and simultaneous blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI, we found changes in cerebral perfusion, regional brain activity and functional connectivity specific to the targeted regions of the amygdala and entorhinal cortex (ErC).ResultstFUS selectively increased perfusion in the targeted brain region and not in the contralateral homolog or either bilateral control region. Additionally, tFUS directly affected BOLD activity in a target specific fashion without engaging auditory cortex in any analysis. Finally, tFUS resulted in selective modulation of the targeted functional network connectivity.ConclusionWe demonstrate that tFUS can selectively modulate perfusion, neural activity and connectivity in deep brain structures and connected networks. Lack of auditory cortex findings suggests that the mechanism of tFUS action is not due to auditory or acoustic startle response but rather a direct neuromodulatory process. Our findings suggest that tFUS has the potential for future application as a novel therapy in a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders associated with subcortical pathology.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Kuhn, Spivak, Dang, Becerra, Halavi, Rotstein, Rosenberg, Hiller, Swenson, Cvijanovic, Dang, Sun, Kronemyer, Berlow, Revett, Suthana, Monti and Bookheimer.