The effect of low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation on neural oscillation and hemodynamics in the mouse visual cortex depends on anesthesia level and ultrasound intensity.

Objective Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) can induce motor responses, neural oscillation and hemodynamic responses. Early studies demonstrated that the motor responses evoked by TUS critically depend on anesthesia levels and ultrasound intensity. However, the neural mechanism of how anesthesia levels and ultrasound intensity influence on brain responses during TUS has never been explored yet. To investigate this question, we applied different anesthesia levels and ultrasound intensities on the visual cortex of mouse and observed neural oscillation change and hemodynamic responses during TUS. Methods low-intensity ultrasound was delivered to mouse visual cortex under different anesthesia levels, and simultaneous recordings for local field potentials (LFPs) and hemodynamic responses were carried out to measure and analyze the changes quantitatively. Results (i) The change of mean amplitude and mean relative power of sharp wave-ripple (SPW-R) in LFPs induced by TUS decreased as the anesthesia level increased (from awake to 1.5% isoflurane). (ii) The hemodynamic response level induced by TUS decreased as the anesthesia level increased (from awake to1.5% isoflurane). (iii) The coupling strength between neural activities and hemodynamic responses was dependent on anesthesia level. (iv) The neural activities and hemodynamic responses increase as a function of ultrasound intensity. Conclusion These results support that the neural activities and hemodynamic response of the mouse visual cortex induced by TUS are related to the anesthesia level and ultrasound intensity. Significance This finding suggests that careful maintenance of anesthesia level and ultrasound intensity is required to acquire accurate LFP and hemodynamic data from samples with TUS.