Novel acoustic tools for neuromodulation

Ultrasound is an emerging new tool for non-invasive neuromodulation. The recent major advances in the field have led to ongoing clinical trials to asses ultrasound as a treatment for ao. Essential tremor, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Nevertheless, the mechanism remains largely unknown and quantitative information is still lacking. An in-house state-of-the-art high-density CMOS MEA provides a unique opportunity to fill these gaps which would then enable optimization of the acoustic wave for neurostimulation. First we want to understand the mechanism at cellular level by comparing the origin and time scales of the neuronal response on ultrasound and electrical stimulation, a technique that has already revealed its mechanism and is currently a powerful tool for treatment of neurological disorders. This will be possible thanks to single-cell resolution of the chip and the ability to not only record but also electrically stimulate. A following parameter study will provide quantitative information and optimal parameter sets to finetune the cellular response according to needs. The last step will consist of testing these parameter sets at network level in the aim to restore network behaviour in dysregulated neuronal circuits. We hope this will lead to the necessary information to enable optimized ultrasound neuromodulation treatments.