# Ultrasonic Neural Stimulation for Neuromodulation Therapeutics

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $316,800

## Abstract

Summary/Abstract
Electrical stimulation of neural tissue, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and cortical stimulation, is widely
applied therapeutic neuromodulation techniques for neurologic disorders. Penetrating electrodes (e.g.,
microwires and silicon probes) for DBS provide high spatial resolution, but are invasive, displacing neural
tissue, producing acute insertion trauma, and potentially eliciting a foreign-body response. Surface electrodes,
while less invasive, cannot generate a highly-localized electrical field. Motivated by these limitations, the goal
of this proposal is to develop minimally-invasive and yet highly-localized neuronal stimulation using ultrasound.
Focused acoustic beams with high energy are traditionally used for cellular ablation. Here, we propose to use
low acoustic energy to avoid any ablation or lesion, exploiting the unprecedented features of Self-Focusing
Acoustic Transducers (SFATs) that can focus 2 - 20 MHz sound waves at a sub-mm-sized area with
electrically tunable focal length and force direction. We will conduct intracellular and extracellular experiments
to determine the value and underlying mechanisms of neuromodulation effects induced by SFAT-based
ultrasonic stimulation. The aims of this project are (1) to determine the optimal SFAT designs and fabricate
SFATs with novel properties for the proposed intracellular and extracellular experiments and (2) to characterize
the neuromodulatory function evoked by SFAT-based ultrasound stimulation in normal brain slices and test its
neuromodulatory effect in epileptic brain slices. Using patch clamp and extracellular recording methods, we will
monitor ionic flux and local field potentials, respectively, while varying the acoustic stimulation frequency,
intensity, pulse width, pulse shape and pulse repetition frequency as well as the focal spot(s), focal size and
force direction. The safety of acoustic stimulation will be assessed by histology. This project will provide
insights into biologic mechanisms of ultrasonic neural stimulation, and if successful, could be a critical step
toward the development of a minimally invasive alternative to neuromodulation by electrical stimulation in the
treatment of neurologic disorders such as epilepsy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9899986
- **Project number:** 5R01EB026284-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** EUN SOK KIM
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $316,800
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9899986

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9899986, Ultrasonic Neural Stimulation for Neuromodulation Therapeutics (5R01EB026284-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9899986. Licensed CC0.

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