Confocal ultrasound Doppler for investigating neurovascular responses to ultrasound deep brain stimulations

Ultrasound brain stimulation is well known for triggering neuronal activities and ultimately modulating brain functions. While the previous studies demonstrated the brain activities using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the instant responses within sub second period could not be demonstrated. Although an optical imaging technique visualizing cerebral blood volume changes could increase the time resolution high enough to show the instant neuronal responses, the penetration depth of optical imaging is not enough for finding the neurovascular responses from deep brain structures. To address the limitations of the previous methods, a confocal ultrasound Doppler for investigating neurovascular responses from deep brain ultrasound stimulations was developed.