Medical University of South Carolina
Through the BrainBox Initiative, investigators propose to study the effects of motor tFUS on Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) and GABA and Glutamate Concentrations in the Brain.
tFUS is an emerging neuromodulatory tool that uses pulses of low-intensity acoustic waves to stimulate deep brain structures such as the thalamus. tFUS has recently been used to probe deep brain structures in unresponsive wakefulness, pain, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. However, tFUS is restricted mainly by use in the MR scanner environment, thus limiting session numbers by scan cost and participant comfort. Furthermore, with few human studies to date, the parameter space and mechanisms of action warrant further elucidation. Using novel focused ultrasound methods, investigato…
Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female * Age 18-55 * Endorse good health with no history of mental or physical illness or implanted metal * English as a primary language * Capacity to consent * Negative urine pregnancy test if a female of childbearing potential * Willingness to adhere to the tFUS and MRI study schedule Exclusion Criteria: * Any psychotropic medication is taken within 5 half-lives of procedure time * Any head trauma resulting in loss of consciousness * Personal or family history of neurological illness or injury * Alcohol or substance abuse or dependence (other than tobacco) i…
This aim will test whether motor tFUS parameters thought to be excitatory (50% duty cycle) vs. inhibitory (5% duty cycle) elicit their predicted effects on MEPs before and after each of three stimulation blocks, using 50 MEPs at each time point.
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