Enhancement of functional corticomuscular coupling after transcranial ultrasound stimulation in mice

Objective. Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS), a large penetration depth and high spatial resolution technology, has developed rapidly in recent years. This study aimed to explore and evaluate the neuromodulation effects of TUS on mouse motor neural circuits under different parameters. Approach. Our study used functional corticomuscular coupling (FCMC) as an index to explore the modulation mechanism for movement control under different TUS parameters (intensity [I-sppa] and stimulation duration). We collected local field potential (LFP) and tail electromyographic (EMG) data under TUS in healthy mice and then introduced the time-frequency coherence method to analyze the FCMC before and after TUS in the time-frequency domain. After that, we defined the relative coherence area to quantify the coherence between LFP and EMG under TUS. Main results. The FCMC at theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands was enhanced after TUS, and the neuromodulation efficacy mainly occurred in the lower frequency band (theta and alpha band). After TUS with different parameters, the FCMC in all selected frequency bands showed a tendency of increasing first and then decreasing. Further analysis showed that the maximum coupling value of theta band appeared from 0.2 to 0.4 s, and that the maximum coupling value in alpha and gamma band appeared from 0 to 0.2 s. Significance. The aforementioned results demonstrate that FCMC in the motor cortex could be modulated by TUS. We provide a theoretical basis for further exploring the modulation mechanism of TUS parameters and clinical application.

Automated summary

This study aimed to explore and evaluate the neuromodulation effects of transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) on mouse motor neural circuits. The results showed that TUS can enhance functional corticomuscular coupling in the motor cortex, especially in the lower frequency bands.