Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota 55902, United States.
Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota 55902, United States.
Phys Med Biol. 2021 Feb 25;66(5):05LT01. doi: 10.1088/1361-6560/abdee5.
In this study, we explored the feasibility of using functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging to visualize cerebral activation associated with thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS), in rodents. The ventrolateral (VL) thalamus was stimulated using electrical pulses of low and high frequencies of 10 and 100 Hz, respectively, and multiple voltages (1-7 V) and pulse widths (50-1500 μs). The fUS imaging demonstrated DBS-evoked activation of cerebral cortex based on changes of cerebral blood volume, specifically at the primary motor cortex (PMC). Low frequency stimulation (LFS) demonstrated significantly higher PMC activation compared to higher frequency stimulation (HFS), at intensities (5-7 V). Whereas, at lower intensities (1-3 V), only HFS demonstrated visible PMC activation. Further, LFS-evoked cerebral activation was was primarily located at the PMC. Our data presents the functionality and feasibility of fUS imaging as an investigational tool to identify brain areas associated with DBS. This preliminary study is an important stepping stone towards conducting real-time functional ultrasound imaging of DBS in awake and behaving animal models, which is of significant interest to the community for studying motor-related disorders.
在这项研究中，我们探索了使用功能超声（fUS）成像来可视化与丘脑深部脑刺激（DBS）相关的大脑激活的可行性，在啮齿动物中。使用低频和高频电脉冲分别为 10Hz 和 100Hz 刺激腹外侧（VL）丘脑，多个电压（1-7V）和脉冲宽度（50-1500μs）。fUS 成像基于脑血容量的变化显示了 DBS 诱发的大脑皮层激活，特别是在初级运动皮层（PMC）。与高频刺激（HFS）相比，低频刺激（LFS）在强度（5-7V）下表现出明显更高的 PMC 激活。然而，在较低强度（1-3V）下，只有 HFS 显示出可见的 PMC 激活。此外，LFS 诱发的大脑激活主要位于 PMC。我们的数据表明，fUS 成像作为一种研究工具具有功能性和可行性，可用于识别与 DBS 相关的大脑区域。这项初步研究是朝着在清醒和行为动物模型中进行实时功能超声成像 DBS 迈出的重要一步，这对于研究与运动相关的疾病的社区具有重要意义。
