Lu, Hanna;
Li, Zeyan;
Ni, Xi;
Guo, Liwei;
Qiu, Zhihai;
Meng, Lin;
Yuan, Yi;
(2025)
Looking for the optimal pathway to stimulate the hippocampus in human participants using transcranial ultrasound stimulation: a simulation study.
Advanced Technology in Neuroscience
, 2
(3)
pp. 103-108.
10.4103/atn.atn-d-24-00032.
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Abstract
Currently, very few methods can directly modulate neural activity in deep brain structures in human participants. Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation, an emerging and advanced modality of non-invasive brain stimulation, shows great potential for precisely stimulating subcortical structures associated with sleep, emotion, cognition, and motor function. Due to its focal nature, integrating various methods, including magnetic resonance imaging and potential pathways, is essential for performing transcranial ultrasound stimulation interventions that ensure precise targeting and dosing. The aim of this study was to create simulation models for low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation targeting the human hippocampus through the lateral, anterior, and posterior pathways. We compared the effects of these models to identify the optimal pathway for transcranial ultrasound stimulation of the hippocampus. Eight healthy young adults underwent structural transcranial ultrasound stimulation scans as part of the study. Utilizing their structural neuroimaging data, we developed a protocol for low-intensity hippocampal transcranial ultrasound stimulation targeting the three pathways using the K-Plan platform, followed by acoustic and thermal simulations. The simulation results indicated that acoustic stimulation via the lateral pathway was the most effective, delivering the highest acoustic power through this route. Additionally, the geometric characteristics and thickness of the skull, along with the distance from the scalp to the cortex, significantly influenced the transcranial ultrasound stimulation dosage. These findings are a crucial step toward developing personalized treatment protocols, with lateral pathway stimulation of the hippocampus identified as the optimal option. The characteristics of the skull and the scalp-to-cortex distance are essential for accurately determining treatment targets and calculating transcranial ultrasound stimulation doses.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Looking for the optimal pathway to stimulate the hippocampus in human participants using transcranial ultrasound stimulation: a simulation study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.4103/atn.atn-d-24-00032 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.4103/atn.atn-d-24-00032 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. |
| Keywords: | ageing; default mode network; hippocampus; low-intensity; magnetic resonance imaging; morphometric features; sleep; technique; transcranial ultrasound stimulation |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10214890 |
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