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Abstract
BackgroundTranscranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is gaining momentum as a novel non-invasive brain stimulation method, with promising potential for superior spatial resolution and depth penetration compared to transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial direct current stimulation. We examined the presence of tactile sensations elicited by FUS stimulation of two separate brain regions in humans—the primary (SI) and secondary (SII) somatosensory areas of the hand, as guided by individual-specific functional magnetic resonance imaging data.ResultsUnder image-guidance, acoustic stimulations were delivered to the SI and SII areas either separately or simultaneously. The SII areas were divided into sub-regions that are activated by four types of external tactile sensations to the palmar side of the right hand—vibrotactile, pressure, warmth, and coolness. Across the stimulation conditions (SI only, SII only, SI and SII simultaneously), participants reported various types of tactile sensations that arose from the hand contralateral to the stimulation, such as the palm/back of the hand or as single/neighboring fingers. The type of tactile sensations did not match the sensations that are associated with specific sub-regions in the SII. The neuro-stimulatory effects of FUS were transient and reversible, and the procedure did not cause any adverse changes or discomforts in the subject’s mental/physical status.ConclusionsThe use of multiple FUS transducers allowed for simultaneous stimulation of the SI/SII in the same hemisphere and elicited various tactile sensations in the absence of any external sensory stimuli. Stimulation of the SII area alone could also induce perception of tactile sensations. The ability to stimulate multiple brain areas in a spatially restricted fashion can be used to study causal relationships between regional brain activities and their cognitive/behavioral outcomes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12868-016-0303-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is gaining momentum as a novel non-invasive brain stimulation method, with promising potential for superior spatial resolution and depth penetration compared to transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial direct current stimulation
Focused ultrasound (FUS) has recently shown its utility in non-invasive brain stimulation [7], with greater spatial selectivity and depth penetration compared to other non-invasive techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) [8,9,10]
Prior to the FUS procedures, functional MRI was performed to map the individualspecific the primary somatosensory areas (SI) and the secondary somatosensory areas (SII) areas in the left hemisphere that are functionally eloquent for four different non-painful sensory stimuli—(1) vibrotactile, (2) pressure, (3) warmth, and (4) coolness [27]
Summary
Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is gaining momentum as a novel non-invasive brain stimulation method, with promising potential for superior spatial resolution and depth penetration compared to transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial direct current stimulation. Focused ultrasound (FUS) has recently shown its utility in non-invasive brain stimulation [7], with greater spatial selectivity and depth penetration compared to other non-invasive techniques such as TMS or tDCS [8,9,10]. Transcranial FUS has been shown to have neuromodulatory effects on large animal models, such as the elicitation of motor and visual electrophysiological responses in sheep [21] and the modulation of saccadic movement in non-human primates [22]. We have demonstrated that FUS sonication of the SI, without giving external sensory stimulation, evoked both sonication-specific electroencephalographic (EEG) responses and various tactile sensations from the hand area [20]
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