A Physiological Marker for Deep Brain Ultrasonic Neuromodulation
Taylor D. Webb, Carter Lybbert, Matthew G. Wilson, Henrik Odéen, Jan Kubanek
Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface 2025 · 10.1016/j.neurom.2024.07.005
Abstract
Objectives Transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation (TUSN) is a noninvasive and spatially specific therapy that promises to deliver treatments tailored to the specific needs of individuals. To fulfill this promise, each treatment must be modified to adequately correct for variation across individual skulls and neural anatomy. This study examines the use of ultrasound-induced voltage potentials (measured with electroencephalography [EEG]) to guide TUSN therapies. Materials and methods We measured EEG responses in two awake nonhuman primates during sonication of 12 targets surrounding two deep brain nuclei, the left and right lateral geniculate nucleus. Results We report reliable ultrasound evoked potentials measured with EEG after the deep brain ultrasonic modulation in nonhuman primates. Robust responses are observed after just ten repetitions of the ultrasonic stimuli. Moreover, these potentials are only evoked for specific deep brain targets. Furthermore, a behavioral study in one subject shows a direct correspondence between the target with maximal EEG response and ultrasound-based modulation of visual choice behavior. Thus, this study provides evidence for the feasibility of EEG-based guidance for ultrasound neuromodulation therapies.
Abstract via europepmc.
Exposures
Exposure 1: Remus phased array, 480 kHz, 24 targets around the left and right LGN (UEP parameters and behavioural parameters)
Target: lateral geniculate nucleus — “lateral geniculate nucleus”
Device: not reported · Remus 256-element phased array ✓
| Waveform | pulsed | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental frequency (kHz) | 480 | ✓✓✓ |
| Pulse duration (ms) | 2.5, 30swept | ✓✓✓ |
| Pulse repetition frequency (Hz) | 200, 4.8swept | ✓✓✓ |
| Duty cycle (%) | 50, 14.4swept | ✓✓✓ |
| Sonication duration (s) | 0.1, 30swept | ✓✓✓⚑ |
| 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) | 1,000, 500swept | ✓✓✓⚑ |
| Isppa, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 31, 7.7swept | ✓✓✓⚑ |
| Ispta, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 15 | ✓✓✓ |
Lists are [UEP experiment, behavioural experiment]. UEP: 100-ms sonications at 31 W/cm2 with random inter-sonication interval averaging 17 s, 60 sonications per target; behaviour: a single 30-s sonication per session after a 375-trial baseline.
Flags from extraction
exposures[0].unspecified_domain.isppa_w_cm2— Table 1 intensities and pressures are not labelled free field or in situ; text says in situ pressure was estimated by derating the free-field intensity by 21%.exposures[0].unspecified_domain.pressure_kpa— Table 1 P column in MPa (1.0 and 0.5) converted to kPa; the footnote lists columns in a different order from the header, values read per header.exposures[0].timing.sonication_duration_s— Table 1 SD in milliseconds (100 and 30,000) converted to s.exposures[0].device.family— Remus is described as a system and a 256-element phased array; no manufacturer is named.n_sessions_per_subject— Six EEG sessions in subject B, eight in subject H (written as words); behavioural sessions (16 in subject B) not included.auditory_control— Artifact control argued from sonicating multiple deep targets with equal energy; no separate auditory control experiment is described.
Notes: Control targets (minimal EEG response) received the same sonication as the active targets.