The Effect of Low-Intensity Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation on Behavior in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease Induced by MPTP
Yi Yuan, Zhe Zhao, Zhijie Wang, Xingrang Wang, Jiaqing Yan, Xiaoli Li
IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 2020, 28, 1017-1021 · 10.1109/tnsre.2020.2978865
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) on behavior in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD) induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). The PD mouse model was induced by consecutive injecting the mice with MPTP for 7 days. When the animal model is completed, we performed behavioral tests including the wire hanging test, open field test and forced swimming test on day 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 14 during 2 weeks. Simultaneously, the ultrasound was used to stimulate the brain tissue of the mice daily for these 2 weeks. The data were analyzed to examine treatment effects. When the PD+TUS and PD+Sham groups were compared, the behavior of the PD+TUS mice was better on the fourth day after TUS (*p<0.05) and had further improved on the fourteenth day of TUS (**p<0.01). These results demonstrate that TUS can improve behavior in mice with MPTP-induced PD. The treatment effect gradually improved as the TUS duration increased.
Abstract via europepmc.
Exposures
Exposure 1: PD+TUS group, single stimulation protocol
Target: subthalamic nucleus — “brain tissue without motor cortex; the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is one of nuclei in brain tissue covered by the ultrasound spot”
Device: Olympus / Panametrics · Olympus, USA · V301-SU ✓
| Waveform | pulsed | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental frequency (kHz) | 500 | ✓✓✓ |
| Pulse duration (ms) | not reportedimplied by duty cycle ÷ PRF: 0.05 ms (not stated by the paper) | ⚑ |
| Pulse repetition frequency (Hz) | 1,000 | ✓✓✓ |
| Duty cycle (%) | 5 | ✓✓✓ |
| Sonication duration (s) | 0.05 | ✓✓✓ |
| 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 | |
| Pressure, domain unspecified (kPa) | 390 | ✓✓✓⚑ |
| Isppa, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 5.1 | ✓✓✓ |
| Ispta, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 0.255 | ✓✓✓ |
The interstimulus interval was 1 s, and the total stimulation time was 5 minutes for each stimulus. TUS was performed in the PD mice daily for 2 weeks.
Flags from extraction
exposures[0].target— Exact stimulation target is not given with stereotaxic coordinates; paper only states brain tissue excluding motor cortex, with STN noted as one nucleus covered by the ultrasound spot.exposures[0].unspecified_domain.pressure_kpa— Paper does not state whether the measured pressure/intensity was measured in free field/water or in situ; hydrophone measurement setup relative to the animal is not specified.exposures[0].timing.pulse_duration_ms— Paper gives a separate 'stimulation duration (SD)' of 50 ms and a PRF/duty cycle but never states a distinct pulse duration; not computed per protocol (would be 0.05 ms from duty/PRF).direction_of_effect— Only behavioral outcomes were assessed; no neurophysiological measure of excitatory/inhibitory direction was reported.