Soloukey Sadaf, Verhoef Luuk, Mastik Frits, Brown Michael, Springeling Geert, Generowicz Bastian S, Satoer Djaina D, Dirven Clemens M F, Smits Marion, Hunyadi Borbála, Koekkoek Sebastiaan K E, Vincent Arnaud J P E, De Zeeuw Chris I, Kruizinga Pieter
Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Wytemaweg 80, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Department of Neurosurgery, Erasmus MC, Wytemaweg 80, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Sci Adv. 2025 Jun 20;11(25):eadu9133. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adu9133. Epub 2025 Jun 18.
Imagine being able to study the human brain in real-world scenarios while the subject displays natural behaviors such as locomotion, social interaction, or spatial navigation. The advent of ultrafast ultrasound imaging brings us closer to this goal with functional ultrasound imaging (fUSi), a mobile neuroimaging technique. Here, we present real-time fUSi monitoring of brain activity during walking in a subject with a clinically approved sonolucent skull implant. Our approach uses personalized 3D-printed fUSi helmets for stability, optical tracking for cross-modal validation with functional magnetic resonance imaging, advanced signal processing to estimate hemodynamic responses, and facial tracking of a lick licking paradigm. These combined efforts allowed us to show consistent fUSi signals over 20 months, even during high motion activities such as walking. These results demonstrate the feasibility of fUSi for monitoring brain activity in real-world contexts, marking an important milestone for fUSi-based insights in clinical and neuroscientific research.
想象一下，能够在受试者表现出自然行为（如运动、社交互动或空间导航）的现实场景中研究人类大脑。超快超声成像的出现通过功能性超声成像（fUSi）——一种移动神经成像技术，使我们更接近这一目标。在此，我们展示了在一名佩戴临床批准的透声颅骨植入物的受试者行走过程中对大脑活动进行实时fUSi监测。我们的方法使用个性化3D打印的fUSi头盔来保持稳定性，利用光学跟踪与功能磁共振成像进行跨模态验证，采用先进的信号处理来估计血液动力学反应，并对舔舐范式进行面部跟踪。这些综合努力使我们能够在20个月内显示出一致的fUSi信号，即使在诸如行走等高运动活动期间也是如此。这些结果证明了fUSi在现实环境中监测大脑活动的可行性，为基于fUSi的临床和神经科学研究见解迈出了重要的里程碑。
