Neural mechanisms of ultrasound-induced enhancement of sensory acuity

项目摘要/摘要 大脑皮层的表象可塑性是大脑调节反应的一个戏剧性例子 受伤或训练。一种新兴的恢复和潜在增强感觉的方法涉及到 使用无创、经颅定向聚焦超声(FUS)直接影响神经功能。 与其他适用于人类的非侵入性神经调节技术相比，FUS提供了一种可能性 以更高的空间分辨率调节神经活动，即使对大脑深处的目标也是如此。 尽管FUS作为一种调制方法很有吸引力，但与翻译相关的技术的许多方面 能力尚不清楚，甚至在宏观影响方面也有相互矛盾的结果报道。为了充分地 利用FUS在人类中用于康复或增强目的，对行为的影响必须 要有良好的个性和健壮的性格。表征定向刺激向行为刺激的转变 因此，改变需要结合新的实验方法来(1)监测直接神经 靶向刺激在大脑中的作用，以及(2)在相同的 动物。 通过利用新的光学工具和行为实验方法，拟议的研究将解决 目前限制FUS神经调节用于治疗的关键知识空白 人类。由于目标共同将神经机制与行为联系在一起，这项工作将代表一种 朝着定制感觉调节的潜在变革性前景迈出了重要的一步 治疗性或增强性应用。

Project Summary/Abstract Representational plasticity in the cerebral cortex is a dramatic example of the brain’s accommodative response to injury or training. An emerging approach for rehabilitating, and potentially enhancing, sensation involves the use of noninvasive, transcranially-directed focused ultrasound (FUS) to directly affect neural function. Compared with other noninvasive neuromodulation techniques applicable to humans, FUS offers the possibility of modulating neural activity with superior spatial resolution even for targets deep within the brain. Despite the allure of FUS as a modulation approach, many aspects of the technology relevant to translational capability are unclear, and conflicting results have been reported for even macroscopic effects. In order to fully leverage the use of FUS for rehabilitative or augmentative purposes in humans, the impact on behavior must be well characterized and robust. Characterizing the transformation of targeted stimulation to behavioral changes therefore requires a combination of new experimental approaches for (1) monitoring the direct neural effects of targeted stimulation in the brain, and (2) monitoring quantitative behavioral readouts in the same animal. By leveraging novel optical tools and behavioral experimental approaches, the proposed research will address key knowledge gaps that currently limit development and refinement of FUS neuromodulation for use in humans. Because the Aims collectively connect neural mechanisms with behavior, this work would represent a significant step toward the potentially transformative prospect of customized sensory modulation for therapeutic or augmentative applications.