Spherical Array System for High-Precision Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation and Optoacoustic Imaging in Rodents

IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2021 Jan;68(1):107-115. doi: 10.1109/TUFFC.2020.2994877. Epub 2020 Dec 23.

Abstract

Ultrasound can be delivered transcranially to ablate brain tissue, open the blood-brain barrier, or affect neural activity. Transcranial focused ultrasound in small rodents is typically done with low-frequency single-element transducers, which results in unspecific targeting and impedes the concurrent use of fast neuroimaging methods. In this article, we devised a wide-angle spherical array bidirectional interface for high-resolution parallelized optoacoustic imaging and transcranial ultrasound (POTUS) delivery in the same target regions. The system operates between 3 and 9 MHz, allowing to generate and steer focal spots with widths down to [Formula: see text] across a field of view covering the entire mouse brain, while the same array is used to capture high-resolution 3-D optoacoustic data in real time. We showcase the system's versatile beam-forming capacities as well as volumetric optoacoustic imaging capabilities and discuss its potential to noninvasively monitor brain activity and various effects of ultrasound emission.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood-Brain Barrier / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain* / diagnostic imaging
  • Mice
  • Rodentia*
  • Transducers
  • Ultrasonography