Noninvasive Focused Ultrasound Stimulation Can Modulate Phase-Amplitude Coupling between Neuronal Oscillations in the Rat Hippocampus

Abstract

Noninvasive focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS) can be used to modulate neural activity with high spatial resolution. Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) between neuronal oscillations is tightly associated with cognitive processes, including learning, attention, and memory. In this study, we investigated the effect of FUS on PAC between neuronal oscillations and established the relationship between the PAC index and ultrasonic intensity. The rat hippocampus was stimulated using focused ultrasound at different spatial-average pulse-average ultrasonic intensities (3.9, 9.6, and 19.2 W/cm2). The local field potentials (LFPs) in the rat hippocampus were recorded before and after FUS. Then, we analyzed PAC between neuronal oscillations using a PAC calculation algorithm. Our results showed that FUS significantly modulated PAC between the theta (4–8 Hz) and gamma (30–80 Hz) bands and between the alpha (9–13 Hz) and ripple (81–200 Hz) bands in the rat hippocampus, and PAC increased with incremental increases in ultrasonic intensity.

Cognitive dysfunction in major depression and Alzheimer's disease is associated with hippocampus–prefrontal cortex dysconnectivity

“…Paramagnetic proteins, primarily ferritin, fused to a channel receptor function as an endogenous iron nanoparticle and enable the use of a magnetic field to modulate channel activity temporally 94,95. Low-intensity focused ultrasound has been recently used to non-invasively alter neuronal activity with high spatial resolution 96. Dysregulation of specific molecular targets has been identified in the entorhinal–hippocampal circuit 93,97,98.…”

Computational model of the mechanoelectrophysiological coupling in axons with application to neuromodulation

“…Compared with more traditional neuromodulation methods such as deep brain stimulation or vagal nerve stimulation, TPU does not require the implantation of electrodes that could damage the nervous tissue or lead to infection. In many studies, TPU has been shown to induce changes in the animals' activities and neural response [82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91]. Moreover, TPU has also been experimentally observed to affect the neural activity of human beings [92][93][94] by suppression or inhibition dependent on the parameters of the acoustic energy applied to neural tissue.…”

Effect of pulsed transcranial ultrasound stimulation at different number of tone-burst on cortico-muscular coupling

“…As a mechanical pressure wave, pulsed ultrasound can be transmitted through the skull and facilitate or inhibit neural activities [ 8 , 9 ]. By observing the cerebral blood flow [ 10 ], LFPs or EEG signals from brain [ 11 , 12 ] or electromyography (EMG) signals from the muscle [ 13 – 15 ], etc., the effect of pTUS have been widely investigated. For instance, Legon W et al modulated the activity of primary somatosensory cortex and spectral content of sensory-evoked brain oscillations in humans [ 16 ].…”

“…Li [ 10 ] and Guo [ 17 ] used low-intensity pTUS to modulate the brain of stroke rats and found pTUS is neuroprotective for ischemic brain injury. Previously, we [ 11 ] found that the focused ultrasound stimulation could modulate the phase-amplitude coupling between neuronal oscillations in the rat hippocampus. Moreover, pTUS can stimulate the motor cortex to induce muscle contraction and EMG signals [ 13 ].…”