bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/234666

Transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the human primary motor cortex

Legon, W.·Bansal, P.·Tyshynsky, R.·Ai, L.·Mueller, J. K.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Transcranial focused ultrasound is a form of non-invasive neuromodulation that uses acoustic energy to affect neuronal excitability. The effect of ultrasound on human motor cortical excitability is currently unknown. We apply ultrasound to the primary motor cortex in humans using a novel transcranial ultrasound and magnetic stimulation (TUMS) paradigm that allows for concurrent and concentric ultrasound stimulation with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This allows for non-invasive inspection of the effect of ultrasound on motor neuronal excitability using the motor evoked potential (MEP) generated by TMS. We test the effect of ultrasound on single pulse MEP recruitment curves and paired pulse protocols including short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF). We also test the longevity of the effect and the effect of ultrasound on the cortical silent period in a small sub-sample of participants. In addition, we test the effect of ultrasound to motor cortex on a stimulus response reaction time task. Results show ultrasound inhibits the amplitude of single-pulse MEPs and attenuates intracortical facilitation but does not affect intracortical inhibition. Early evidence suggests that ultrasound does not affect cortical silent period duration and that the duration of inhibition may be related to the duration of stimulation. Finally, ultrasound reduces reaction time on a simple stimulus response task. This is the first report of the effect of ultrasound on human motor cortical excitability and motor behavior and confirms previous results in the somatosensory cortex that ultrasound results in effective neuronal inhibition that confers a performance advantage.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

neurosciencePreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Legon, W., Bansal, P., Tyshynsky, R., Ai, L., Mueller, J. K.. 2018-02-08. Transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the human primary motor cortex. https://doi.org/10.1101/234666

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

EigenBrain maps cortical molecular architecture from functional, geometric, and structural eigenmodes

Neurotransmitter receptor and transporter distributions shape neural communication across the cortex and underpin mechanistic interpretations of brain function. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived eigenmodes, low-dimensional spatial patterns that capture the principal axes of cortical organization, are increasingly used to reconstruct brain maps and offer a potential route to approximating molecular topographies in large cohorts where direct measurements are unavailable. Yet whether the type of MRI data used to derive these eigenmodes determines which receptor and transporter distributions can be approximated, and which molecular systems are accessible through this approach at all, remains unknown. Using a spatial reconstruction framework applied to 23 molecular systems spanning neurotransmitter, metabolic, and pathological markers, we show that eight receptor and transporter maps, spanning serotonin, dopamine, histamine, cholinergic, and opioid markers, can be selectively approximated from functional eigenmodes but not structural or geometric ones. This selectivity also reveals that functional brain organization encodes a specific subset of neuromodulatory topographies that structural and geometric organization does not. To illustrate translational potential in clinical cohorts where molecular imaging is unavailable, we applied individual-level eigenmode decompositions of MRI data projected onto the eight validated molecular systems and detected cross-sectional differences in autism and longitudinal changes in schizophrenia. Together, these findings reveal a difference in how geometric, structural, and functional brain organization relate to molecular architecture, offering a method for approximating validated molecular profiles in population neuroimaging cohorts that lack direct molecular imaging.

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

Sex differences in fear extinction are conditional, not categorical

Threat memories are dynamic, and their behavioral expression can change with subsequent experience and the passage of time. Extinction training can reduce conditioned fear responses, yet these responses may re-emerge over time through spontaneous recovery. Although biological sex has been implicated as modulatory factor in fear and extinction memory processes, studies have reported inconsistent findings. Here, we investigated how differences in extinction training and the timing of memory assessment influence extinction memory in male and female mice. Using contextual fear conditioning, we assessed fear acquisition and threat retention, characterized within-session and across-session extinction during repeated training, and compared shorter (3-minute) and longer (6-minute) daily extinction sessions. We subsequently evaluated extinction memory retention and spontaneous recovery at a later time point. Estrous-cycle stage in females was monitored daily throughout the experimental protocol to examine its potential association with fear and extinction behavior. We found that males and females demonstrated comparable fear acquisition and threat memory, as well as similar extinction progression across days. During longer extinction sessions, but not shorter, males showed greater within-session reductions in freezing, whereas females exhibited modestly higher overall freezing. We found no significant sex difference in the magnitude of spontaneous recovery. There was no significant association between estrous-cycle stage and freezing behavior. Together, our findings suggest that sex-dependent differences in contextual fear extinction are not uniformly expressed, but rather depend on the experimental conditions under which extinction is assessed

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

LAMA2-related muscular dystrophy alters Schwann cell calcium homeostasis and increases peripheral nerve inflammation

LAMA2-related muscular dystrophy (LAMA2-RD) affects skeletal muscle and peripheral nerves, yet the consequences of LAMA2 deficiency on peripheral nerve integrity beyond early postnatal development remain incompletely understood. We investigated sciatic nerve architecture and molecular alterations across postnatal life in hypomorphic Lama2dy2J/dy2J mice. LAMA2 localizes around the abaxonal surface of myelinating Schwann cells in control nerves. LAMA2-deficient nerves exhibited patchy regions lacking myelinated axons from early postnatal stages into adulthood, including expanded Remak bundles along with axons completely lacking normal Schwann cell ensheathment. In adult nerves, myelin infolding and reduced myelin circularity revealed abnormalities in the architecture of myelin that had formed. Bulk sciatic nerve RNA sequencing identified altered calcium-signaling and immune-related transcriptional signatures. Complementary Fura Red measurements in primary nerve-derived Schwann cell cultures demonstrated decreased intracellular calcium in LAMA2-deficient samples, while ATP-evoked responses were preserved. Older LAMA2-deficient nerves also exhibited increased CD45+CD11b+ myeloid-cell infiltration. Together, these observations extend the characterization of LAMA2-associated neuropathy into adulthood and identify calcium homeostasis and neuroimmune responses as candidate processes relevant to persistent peripheral nerve pathology.

neuroscience↗