A study of reception with the use of focused ultrasound. I. Effects on the skin and deep receptor structures in man
Leonid R. Gavrilov, Grigoryi V. Gersuni, Oleg B. Ilyinski, Efim M. Tsirulnikov, Eugenyi E. Shchekanov
Brain Research 1977, 135, 265-277 · 10.1016/0006-8993(77)91030-7
Abstract
The possibility of use of focused ultrasound (focused beam of high-frequency mechanical waves) for stimulation of nerve structures was investigated. The stimulation of human hand resulted in various sensations: tactile, temperature, pain etc. The corresponding thresholds were determined and characteristic features of ultrasonically induced sensations were studied. The modality of temperature sensation (warmth-cold) was found to depend on the environmental temperature. The character of pain was dependent upon the type of tissue stimulated. Effective factors in ultrasonic stimulation are discussed.
Abstract via europepmc.
Exposures
Exposure 1: Focused ultrasound to skin/deep receptor structures of the hand (480 kHz)
Target: other — “skin, soft tissue, bone and joints of the hand (fingers, palm, forearm)”
Device: custom-built
| Waveform | continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental frequency (kHz) | 480 | ✓✓✓ |
| Pulse duration (ms) | not applicable | |
| Pulse repetition frequency (Hz) | not applicable | |
| Duty cycle (%) | not applicable | |
| Sonication duration (s) | 0.001, 0.01, 0.1swept | ✓✓✓ |
| Free-field pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-field Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| Free-field Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ estimate | not reported | |
| In-situ pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
| In-situ Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| Isppa, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 1,300 | ✓✓✓⚑ |
The focusing irradiator and the subject's hand were submerged in a water bath (30, 35 or 40C); stimuli of a given duration were applied at irregular intervals with intensity rising from stimulus to stimulus, first for 1 msec, then 10 and 100 msec, until tactile, then temperature, then pain sensations appeared. The focal region could be moved from the skin surface into deeper soft tissue, bone or joint using a coordinate positioning device.
Exposure 2: Focused ultrasound to skin/deep receptor structures of the hand (887 kHz)
Target: other — “skin, soft tissue, bone and joints of the hand (fingers, palm, forearm)”
Device: custom-built
| Waveform | continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental frequency (kHz) | 887 | ✓✓✓ |
| Pulse duration (ms) | not applicable | |
| Pulse repetition frequency (Hz) | not applicable | |
| Duty cycle (%) | not applicable | |
| Sonication duration (s) | 0.001, 0.01, 0.1swept | ✓✓✓ |
| Free-field pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-field Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| Free-field Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ estimate | not reported | |
| In-situ pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
| In-situ Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| Isppa, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 8,000 | ✓✓✓⚑ |
The focusing irradiator and the subject's hand were submerged in a water bath (30, 35 or 40C); stimuli of a given duration were applied at irregular intervals with intensity rising from stimulus to stimulus, first for 1 msec, then 10 and 100 msec, until tactile, then temperature, then pain sensations appeared. The focal region could be moved from the skin surface into deeper soft tissue, bone or joint using a coordinate positioning device.
Exposure 3: Focused ultrasound to skin/deep receptor structures of the hand (2670 kHz)
Target: other — “skin, soft tissue, bone and joints of the hand (fingers, palm, forearm)”
Device: custom-built
| Waveform | continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental frequency (kHz) | 2,670 | ✓✓✓ |
| Pulse duration (ms) | not applicable | |
| Pulse repetition frequency (Hz) | not applicable | |
| Duty cycle (%) | not applicable | |
| Sonication duration (s) | 0.001, 0.01, 0.1swept | ✓✓✓ |
| Free-field pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-field Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| Free-field Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ estimate | not reported | |
| In-situ pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
| In-situ Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| Isppa, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 30,000 | ✓✓✓⚑ |
The focusing irradiator and the subject's hand were submerged in a water bath (30, 35 or 40C); stimuli of a given duration were applied at irregular intervals with intensity rising from stimulus to stimulus, first for 1 msec, then 10 and 100 msec, until tactile, then temperature, then pain sensations appeared. The focal region could be moved from the skin surface into deeper soft tissue, bone or joint using a coordinate positioning device.
Exposure 4: Focused ultrasound to thermode-defined warm/cold skin spots (1.95 MHz, one of three frequencies compared)
Target: other — “skin, soft tissue, bone and joints of the hand (fingers, palm, forearm)”
Device: custom-built
| Waveform | continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental frequency (kHz) | 1,950 | ✓✓✓⚑ |
| Pulse duration (ms) | not applicable | |
| Pulse repetition frequency (Hz) | not applicable | |
| Duty cycle (%) | not applicable | |
| Sonication duration (s) | 0.001, 0.01swept | ✓✓✓ |
| Free-field pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-field Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| Free-field Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ estimate | not reported | |
| In-situ pressure (kPa) | not reported | |
| In-situ Isppa (W/cm²) | not reported | |
| In-situ Ispta (W/cm²) | not reported |
At room temperature (21-23C) a warm or cold thermode (tip diameter about 1 mm) was used to locate 'warm' and 'cold' spots on the palm skin; these same spots were then stimulated with focused ultrasound (0.887, 1.95 and 2.67 MHz; 1 and 10 msec duration; water temperature 34-36C), and the resulting cold or warmth sensation was independent of whether the spot had been classed as warm or cold by the thermode.
Flags from extraction
exposures[0].unspecified_domain.isppa_w_cm2— Value is the transducer's stated maximal ultrasonic intensity for this frequency, not necessarily the intensity actually delivered in any given trial; per-condition threshold intensities (by water temperature, duration, location and sensation type) are given in Tables I-IV but are not individually extracted here. Domain (free-field vs at the receptor) is not stated by the paper.exposures[1].unspecified_domain.isppa_w_cm2— Value is the transducer's stated maximal ultrasonic intensity for this frequency, not necessarily the intensity actually delivered in any given trial; per-condition threshold intensities (by water temperature, duration, location and sensation type) are given in Tables I-IV but are not individually extracted here. Domain (free-field vs at the receptor) is not stated by the paper.exposures[2].unspecified_domain.isppa_w_cm2— Value is the transducer's stated maximal ultrasonic intensity for this frequency, not necessarily the intensity actually delivered in any given trial; per-condition threshold intensities (by water temperature, duration, location and sensation type) are given in Tables I-IV but are not individually extracted here. Domain (free-field vs at the receptor) is not stated by the paper.exposures[3].fundamental_frequency_khz— 1.95 MHz is mentioned only as one of three frequencies used in a control comparison against thermode-defined warm/cold spots; no separate intensity value is given for this frequency.