Transcranial ultrasound stimulation in humans is associated with an auditory confound that can be effectively masked

被引:77
作者
Braun, Verena [1 ]
Blackmore, Joseph [2 ]
Cleveland, Robin O. [2 ]
Butler, Christopher R. [1 ,3 ,4 ]
机构
[1] Univ Oxford, Nuffield Dept Clin Neurosci, Oxford, England
[2] Univ Oxford, Inst Biomed Engn, Oxford, England
[3] Imperial Coll London, Dept Brain Sci, Oxford, England
[4] Pontificia Univ Catolica Chile, Dept Neurol, Santiago, Chile
基金
英国医学研究理事会; 英国工程与自然科学研究理事会;
关键词
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS); EEG; Human auditory perception; Neuromodulation; Non-invasive;
D O I
10.1016/j.brs.2020.08.014
中图分类号
R74 [神经病学与精神病学];
学科分类号
摘要
Background: Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is emerging as a potentially powerful, noninvasive technique for focal brain stimulation. Recent animal work suggests, however, that TUS effects may be confounded by indirect stimulation of early auditory pathways. Objective: We aimed to investigate in human participants whether TUS elicits audible sounds and if these can be masked by an audio signal. Methods: In 18 healthy participants, T1-weighted magnetic resonance brain imaging was acquired for 3D ultrasound simulations to determine optimal transducer placements and source amplitudes. Thermal simulations ensured that temperature rises were <0.5 degrees C at the target and <3 degrees C in the skull. To test for non-specific auditory activation, TUS (500 kHz, 300 ms burst, modulated at 1 kHz with 50% duty cycle) was applied to primary visual cortex and participants were asked to distinguish stimulation from nonstimulation trials. EEG was recorded throughout the task. Furthermore, ex-vivo skull experiments tested for the presence of skull vibrations during TUS. Results: We found that participants can hear sound during TUS and can distinguish between stimulation and non-stimulation trials. This was corroborated by EEG recordings indicating auditory activation associated with TUS. Delivering an audio waveform to participants through earphones while TUS was applied reduced detection rates to chance level and abolished the TUS-induced auditory EEG signal. Ex vivo skull experiments demonstrated that sound is conducted through the skull at the pulse repetition frequency of the ultrasound. Conclusion: Future studies using TUS in humans need to take this auditory confound into account and mask stimulation appropriately. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
引用
收藏
页码:1527 / 1534
页数:8
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