Effects of focused ultrasound in a “clean” mouse model of ultrasonic neuromodulation

2023/10/31 by Hongsun Guo, Hossein Salahshoor, Di Wu +4 · 1 voice
Engineering · Materials Science · #Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic Imaging #Ultrasound and Cavitation Phenomena #Ultrasound and Hyperthermia Applications

paper · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108372

openalex publication_date 2023/10/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

× Thy1-GCaMP6s, which allows for inducible deafening using diphtheria toxin and minimizes off-target effects of UNM while allowing effects on neural activity to be visualized with fluorescent calcium imaging. Using this model, we found that the auditory confounds caused by FUS can be significantly reduced or eliminated within a certain pressure range. At higher pressures, FUS can result in focal fluorescence dips at the target, elicit non-auditory sensory confounds, and damage tissue, leading to spreading depolarization. Under the acoustic conditions we tested, we did not observe direct calcium responses in the mouse cortex. Our findings provide a cleaner animal model for UNM and sonogenetics research, establish a parameter range within which off-target effects are confidently avoided, and reveal the non-auditory side effects of higher-pressure stimulation.

Citations

• The Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework: A 3D Reference Atlas
• Auditory confounds can drive online effects of transcranial ultrasonic stimulation in humans
• Transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation of human primary visual cortex

Discussions

• Guo et al. developed a transgenic mouse model which can be inducibly deafened for more informative studies of ultrasonic neuromodulation. Link: doi.org/10.1016/j.is... [bsky, 0 points, 1 comments]