TY - GEN
T1 - Neurochemical and functional connectivity changes mediated by transcranial ultrasound stimulation in deep cortical regions
AU - Roberts, Jamie
AU - Stagg, Charlotte
AU - Yaakub, Siti Nurbaya
AU - Verhagen, Lennart
AU - Hall, Stephen
AU - White, Tristan
AU - Fouragnan, Elsa
PY - 2022/3/10
Y1 - 2022/3/10
N2 - The purpose of this study is to show that repetitive low-intensity focused transcranial ultrasound (TUS) can induce changes in neurotransmitter levels and brain functional connectivity of the regions targeted. Previous studies have shown that a repetitive TUS protocol is able to modulate brain activity in focal regions deep in the brain. This has been demonstrated both macaques (Fouragnan et al., 2019; Verhagen et al. 2019; Folloni et al., 2019) and humans (Zeng et al., 2021), with effects lasting from several minutes to several hours after TUS. The mechanisms by which TUS induces neuromodulation are thought to be primarily driven by mechanical interactions of the ultrasound wave as it passes through cells (Darmani et al., 2021). How this relates to excitatory or inhibitory neuromodulation is still poorly understood. In this study, we will use magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure changes in neurotransmitter levels and brain functional connectivity after applying TUS, compared to sham. We chose two deep cortical regions with well-defined (and separable) functional connectivity profiles: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Participants will complete three study sessions. During each session, they will have either sham TUS, TUS of the dACC, or TUS of the PCC. Immediately following TUS, participants will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan where we will obtain resting-state fMRI data and MRS measures of GABA+ (gamma-aminobutyric acid + macromolecules) and Glx (glutamate + glutamine) in the two brain regions of interest. We will use a repetitive TUS protocol, theta burst TUS, described in (Zeng et al., 2021).
AB - The purpose of this study is to show that repetitive low-intensity focused transcranial ultrasound (TUS) can induce changes in neurotransmitter levels and brain functional connectivity of the regions targeted. Previous studies have shown that a repetitive TUS protocol is able to modulate brain activity in focal regions deep in the brain. This has been demonstrated both macaques (Fouragnan et al., 2019; Verhagen et al. 2019; Folloni et al., 2019) and humans (Zeng et al., 2021), with effects lasting from several minutes to several hours after TUS. The mechanisms by which TUS induces neuromodulation are thought to be primarily driven by mechanical interactions of the ultrasound wave as it passes through cells (Darmani et al., 2021). How this relates to excitatory or inhibitory neuromodulation is still poorly understood. In this study, we will use magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure changes in neurotransmitter levels and brain functional connectivity after applying TUS, compared to sham. We chose two deep cortical regions with well-defined (and separable) functional connectivity profiles: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Participants will complete three study sessions. During each session, they will have either sham TUS, TUS of the dACC, or TUS of the PCC. Immediately following TUS, participants will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan where we will obtain resting-state fMRI data and MRS measures of GABA+ (gamma-aminobutyric acid + macromolecules) and Glx (glutamate + glutamine) in the two brain regions of interest. We will use a repetitive TUS protocol, theta burst TUS, described in (Zeng et al., 2021).
U2 - 10.17605/osf.io/bcf4v
DO - 10.17605/osf.io/bcf4v
M3 - Other contribution
ER -