1
|
Zhang J, Gong C, Yang Z, Wei F, Sun X, Ji J, Zeng Y, Chang CF, Liu X, Nair DSR, Thomas BB, Zhou Q. Ultrasound Flow Imaging Study on Rat Brain with Ultrasound and Light Stimulations. Bioengineering (Basel) 2024; 11:174. [PMID: 38391660 PMCID: PMC10886342 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11020174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional ultrasound (fUS) flow imaging provides a non-invasive method for the in vivo study of cerebral blood flow and neural activity. This study used functional flow imaging to investigate rat brain's response to ultrasound and colored-light stimuli. Male Long-Evan rats were exposed to direct full-field strobe flashes light and ultrasound stimulation to their retinas, while brain activity was measured using high-frequency ultrasound imaging. Our study found that light stimuli, particularly blue light, elicited strong responses in the visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), as evidenced by changes in cerebral blood volume (CBV). In contrast, ultrasound stimulation elicited responses undetectable with fUS flow imaging, although these were observable when directly measuring the brain's electrical signals. These findings suggest that fUS flow imaging can effectively differentiate neural responses to visual stimuli, with potential applications in understanding visual processing and developing new diagnostic tools.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junhang Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Chen Gong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Zihan Yang
- Caruso Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Fan Wei
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Xin Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jie Ji
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Yushun Zeng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Chi-Feng Chang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Xunan Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Deepthi S Rajendran Nair
- Department of Ophthalmology, USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Biju B Thomas
- Department of Ophthalmology, USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Qifa Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| |
Collapse
|