Effect of low-intensity focused ultrasound on hippocampus of alcohol addicted mice: a preliminary study
Qian Wang, Xiaoqing Xiang, Lianjie Peng, Chunxia Liang, Qiong Li, Shuang Liang, Jianzhong Zou, Yanlin Chen
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2026 · 10.3389/fnins.2026.1789927
Abstract
Alcohol addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disorder characterized by significant neurobiological changes, particularly within the hippocampus, which mediates emotional regulation and reward-seeking behavior. Previous studies have shown that alcohol-induced neuronal injury contributes to withdrawal-associated anxiety and persistent alcohol preference. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) on the hippocampus in a mouse model of alcohol addiction. Twenty-six male C57BL/6 mice were allocated to an alcohol-exposed group ( n = 20) and a control group ( n = 6). Following a 28-day modeling period, the alcohol group was randomly subdivided into a therapy group and a sham group. The therapy group received LIFU treatment, while the sham group underwent an identical procedure with the ultrasound transducer powered off. After seven days of treatment, the therapy group exhibited less severe anxiety symptoms upon alcohol withdrawal and a reduced preference for alcohol compared to the sham group. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentration was significantly lower in the therapy group than in the sham group, but did not differ significantly from the control group. Hippocampal HE staining revealed more pronounced degeneration and apoptosis of granule cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) region in the sham group relative to the therapy group. These preliminary findings suggest that LIFU may modulate alcohol addiction by mitigating hippocampal neuronal injury.
Abstract via europepmc.
Exposures
Exposure 1: LIFU over hippocampal projection area (7 daily sessions)
Target: hippocampus — “hippocampal projection area on the skull”
Device: other named manufacturer · Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology Co., Ltd. · Model-CZG Ultrasound Therapeutic Device for Arthritis ✓
| Waveform | not reported | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental frequency (kHz) | 600 | ✓✓✓ |
| Pulse duration (ms) | not reported | |
| Pulse repetition frequency (Hz) | not reported | |
| Duty cycle (%) | not reported | |
| Sonication duration (s) | 300, 600, 900swept | ✓✓✓⚑ |
| 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 | |
| Ispta, domain unspecified (W/cm²) | 0.6 | ✓✓✓⚑ |
Daily irradiation for 0, 5, 10 or 15 min over 7 consecutive days in the duration-selection experiment (normal mice); 15 min/d for 7 consecutive days was then used in the alcohol model. Pulsing is not described. Mice anaesthetised with isoflurane; 2 cm probe over the hippocampal projection area.
Flags from extraction
exposures[0].unspecified_domain.ispta_w_cm2— Paper gives 'power 0.6 W/cm2 +/- 20%' for a physiotherapy device without naming the intensity metric or the domain; placed in ispta as the nearest field.n_subjects— 38 mice were obtained: 26 in the addiction model (6 control, 20 alcohol; 9 sham, 9 therapy analysed) and 12 normal mice for duration selection (3 per duration group, including 0 min). Not all were sonicated.exposures[0].timing.sonication_duration_s— List is the 5, 10 and 15 min durations tested in normal mice (0 min is no exposure); the alcohol model used 15 min.exposures[0].device— Arthritis physiotherapy device with a stated focal plane distance; focusing and waveform not described.direction_of_effect— Aim was protective / disease-modifying; no activity readout, direction not clear.