Design and evaluation of phased array transducers for deep brain stimulation in nucleus accumbens region of the rat brain

摘要

Neuromodulation with low intensity focused ultrasound has many potential applications. One target of interest is the nucleus accumbens which is the reward center of the brain. It is hypothesized that with proper stimulation of the nucleus accumbens addictive behavior can be suppressed. Carrying out animal studies to understand the effects of LIFU parameters on such behavioral changes is an important step toward achieving addiction control in humans. Our objective is to design and evaluate a transducer array that can deliver enough energy across the rat skull, and target both nucleus accumbens sites simultaneously.