| Start Date: | 8/11/2017 | Start Time: | 8:30 PM |
| End Date: | 8/11/2017 | End Time: | 10:30 PM |
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Event Description
BIOMED PhD Research Proposal (DU-SJTU Dual PhD)
Title:
Pulsed Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation (TUS) and Its Applications in Preconditioning of Focal Ischemia and Treatment of Depression
Speaker:
Hangdao Li, Dual PhD Candidate, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)
Advisors:
Peter A. Lewin, PhD, Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University
Shanbao Tong, PhD, Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)
Abstract:
Neurological disorders, such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and depression, etc., present an increasing challenge and a substantial social and economic burden for an ageing population. Compared with conventional pharmacologic interventions, neuromodulation techniques have gained widespread attention as they are able to specifically and selectively guide cortical plasticity to restore adaptive equilibrium in a disrupted neural network resulting from neurological disorders. In the past several years, low-intensity (<1 W/cm2 ISPTA (spatial-peak temporal-average intensity)) pulsed transcranial ultrasound stimulation (pTUS) has emerged as a promising technique for neuromodulation and treatment of neurological diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke. However, the actual therapeutic effects of pTUS still need to be validated in many neurological diseases. Our goals are to particularly identify whether pTUS could work in preconditioning of focal cerebral ischemia and treatment of depression using respective animal models.
Our previous studies showed that pTUS was neuroprotective when applied immediately after focal brain ischemia in rats, whereas others reported that preconditioning to reduce brain metabolism could render neural tissue more tolerant to subsequent ischemia. Moreover, animal studies demonstrated that pTUS could elevate BDNF expression as well neurogenesis in hippocampus, which is closely associated with depression alleviation. These results lead to our central hypothesis that making use of its neuromodulatory effects, pTUS could be used in preconditioning of focal cerebral ischemia and treatment of depression in respective animal models. In addition, the neuromodulatrory effects of pTUS could be assessed using optical imaging techniques, such as laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) and multispectral reflectance imaging (MSRI), by monitoring the brain activity elicited by hind limb electrical stimulation and the influence of pTUS on this cortical excitability.
Towards this hypothesis, we propose to pursue three specific aims to provide experimental evidence for the use of pTUS in preconditioning of focal cerebral ischemia and treatment of depression: (1) To explore whether the risk of stroke can be minimized or eliminated by prior transcranial stimulation using pulsed ultrasound (preconditioning). (2) To study the potential therapeutic effects of pTUS on depression in a 48-hour-restraint rat depression model. (3) To assess whether pTUS could influence the excitability of primary somatosensory cortex using functional optical imaging techniques. |
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Location:
Med-X Building, Room 218, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai, China |
Audience:
Undergraduate StudentsGraduate StudentsFacultyStaff |
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