Dose-dependent ultrasound neuromodulation of the human brain
- 1Stanford University
Abstract
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) can noninvasively modulate deep brain structures, but the relationship between delivered dose and neuromodulatory response remains poorly characterized in humans. Here, we show that ultrasound-induced tissue displacement measured in vivo predicts local and downstream functional neuromodulation. In 24 healthy adults, we combined magnetic resonance acoustic radiation force imaging (MR-ARFI) with concurrent TUS-fMRI in a double-blind, counterbalanced, within-subject design. Relative to active control stimulation, targeting the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) increased visually evoked BOLD responses in the LGN and ipsilateral primary visual cortex, localized to the retinotopic projection zone of the stimulated LGN site. Displacement predicted effect magnitude in both regions across participants and covaried with voxelwise responses within participants. Simulated in situ intensity showed no significant association with displacement or neuromodulatory response. These findings link in vivo mechanical displacement to functional modulation of a human thalamocortical circuit, providing an empirical basis for individualized dosing in causal neuroscience and clinical intervention.
Related
- Dose-Dependent Effects of Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound on Human Deep White Matter Tracts
- Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation of the Central Lateral Thalamus in a Non-Human Primate Model of Disorders of Consciousness
- An electronically steerable epidural ultrasound interface for deep brain neuromodulation in freely moving rats
- Just-in-Time Neuromodulation: A Precision, State-Dependent Paradigm for On-Demand Brain Intervention
- Low-intensity ultrasound drives offline neuromodulation through passive membrane mechanisms in synaptically isolated hippocampal neurons
BibTeX
@misc{kop2026dosedependent,
title = {{Dose-dependent ultrasound neuromodulation of the human brain}},
author = {B. R. Kop and M. Mohammadjavadi and E. Feredoes and M. T. W. Scott and A. M. Norcia and E. Fouragnan and R. T. Ash and G. H. Glover and K. Butts Pauly},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.27.754841},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.27.754841v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Dose-dependent ultrasound neuromodulation of the human brain
AU - B. R. Kop
AU - M. Mohammadjavadi
AU - E. Feredoes
AU - M. T. W. Scott
AU - A. M. Norcia
AU - E. Fouragnan
AU - R. T. Ash
AU - G. H. Glover
AU - K. Butts Pauly
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/27
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.27.754841
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.27.754841v1
AB - Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) can noninvasively modulate deep brain structures, but the relationship between delivered dose and neuromodulatory response remains poorly characterized in humans. Here, we show that ultrasound-induced tissue displacement measured in vivo predicts local and downstream functional neuromodulation. In 24 healthy adults, we combined magnetic resonance acoustic radiation force imaging (MR-ARFI) with concurrent TUS-fMRI in a double-blind, counterbalanced, within-subject design. Relative to active control stimulation, targeting the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) increased visually evoked BOLD responses in the LGN and ipsilateral primary visual cortex, localized to the retinotopic projection zone of the stimulated LGN site. Displacement predicted effect magnitude in both regions across participants and covaried with voxelwise responses within participants. Simulated in situ intensity showed no significant association with displacement or neuromodulatory response. These findings link in vivo mechanical displacement to functional modulation of a human thalamocortical circuit, providing an empirical basis for individualized dosing in causal neuroscience and clinical intervention.
ER -