Full metadata
Title
Development of a neurostimulation method using pulsed ultrasound
Description
Neurostimulation methods currently include deep brain stimulation (DBS), optogenetic, transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS and tDCS are noninvasive techniques whereas DBS and optogenetic require surgical implantation of electrodes or light emitting devices. All approaches, except for optogenetic, have been implemented in clinical settings because they have demonstrated therapeutic utility and clinical efficacy for neurological and psychiatric disorders. When applied for therapeutic applications, these techniques suffer from limitations that hinder the progression of its intended use to treat compromised brain function. DBS requires an invasive surgical procedure that surfaces complications from infection, longevity of electrical components, and immune responses to foreign materials. Both TMS and tDCS circumvent the problems seen with DBS as they are noninvasive procedures, but they fail to produce the spatial resolution required to target specific brain structures. Realizing these restrictions, we sought out to use ultrasound as a neurostimulation modality. Ultrasound is capable of achieving greater resolution than TMS and tDCS, as we have demonstrated a ~2mm lateral resolution, which can be delivered noninvasively. These characteristics place ultrasound superior to current neurostimulation methods. For these reasons, this dissertation provides a developed protocol to use transcranial pulsed ultrasound (TPU) as a neurostimulation technique. These investigations implement electrophysiological, optophysiological, immunohistological, and behavioral methods to elucidate the effects of ultrasound on the central nervous system and raise questions about the functional consequences. Intriguingly, we showed that TPU was also capable of stimulating intact sub-cortical circuits in the anesthetized mouse. These data reveal that TPU can evoke synchronous oscillations in the hippocampus in addition to increasing expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Considering these observations, and the ability to noninvasively stimulate neuronal activity on a mesoscale resolution, reveals a potential avenue to be effective in clinical settings where current brain stimulation techniques have shown to be beneficial. Thus, the results explained by this dissertation help to pronounce the significance for these protocols to gain translational recognition.
Date Created
2011
Contributors
- Tufail, Yusuf Zahid (Author)
- Tyler, William J (Thesis advisor)
- Duch, Carsten (Committee member)
- Muthuswamy, Jitendran (Committee member)
- Santello, Marco (Committee member)
- Tillery, Stephen H (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
x, 205 p. : col. ill
Language
eng
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.9199
Statement of Responsibility
by Yusuf Zahid Tufail
Description Source
Retrieved on Oct. 10, 2012
Level of coding
full
Note
thesis
Partial requirement for: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2011
bibliography
Includes bibliographical references
Field of study: Biology
System Created
- 2011-08-12 04:41:02
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:52:57
- 3 years 2 months ago
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