PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Hossein Salahshoor
AU  - Hongsun Guo
AU  - Mikhail G. Shapiro
AU  - Michael Ortiz
TI  - Mechanics Of Ultrasonic Neuromodulation In A Mouse Subject
AID  - 10.1101/2021.09.23.461613
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.09.23.461613
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/09/24/2021.09.23.461613.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/09/24/2021.09.23.461613.full
AB  - Ultrasound neuromodulation (UNM), where a region in the brain is targeted by focused ultrasound (FUS), which, in turn, causes excitation or inhibition of neural activity, has recently received considerable attention as a promising tool for neuroscience. Despite its great potential, several aspects of UNM are still unknown. An important question pertains to the off-target sensory effects of UNM and their dependence on stimulation frequency. To understand these effects, we have developed a finite-element model of a mouse, including elasticity and viscoelasticity, and used it to interrogate the response of mouse models to focused ultrasound (FUS). We find that, while some degree of focusing and magnification of the signal is achieved within the brain, the induced pressure-wave pattern is complex and delocalized. In addition, we find that the brain is largely insulated, or ‘cloaked’, from shear waves by the cranium and that the shear waves are largely carried away from the skull by the vertebral column, which acts as a waveguide. We find that, as expected, this waveguide mechanism is strongly frequency dependent, which may contribute to the frequency dependence of UNM effects. Our calculations further suggest that off-target skin locations experience displacements and stresses at levels that, while greatly attenuated from the source, could nevertheless induce sensory responses in the subject.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.