Acoustic Fresnel lens to focus ultrasound for in vitro neuromodulation

In vitro neuromodulation studies play a crucial role in understanding the underlying interaction mechanisms between cells and ultrasound, which is important in the development of new therapies for various neurological disorders. Acoustic focusing, the ability to focus ultrasound at a specific focal length with high spatial resolution, provides a...

Biophysical mechanisms responsible for ultrasound neuromodulation in bilayer lipid membranes: Enabling the research that uncovers the mysterious interactions between ultrasound and neurons

Medical technology has seen great progress over the last centuries, developing increasingly more specialised therapy to benefit human health. The rise of the pharmaceutical industry and the research it drives are contributors to this success. However, in humanity's attempt to tackle more and more complex health issues, the conventional methods...

Energy Efficient High Voltage Driver for High Frequency Ultrasound Medical Applications

Noninvasive brain stimulation plays an essential role in diagnosing and treating diseases of the brain. This stimulation can affect disease-related changes in brain activation, inhibition, or connectivity. Ultrasound neuromodulation is a rapidly growing field of noninvasive brain stimulation. In a form of acoustic pressure waves, ultrasound can...

Object detection inside a wearable ultrasound neuromodulator patch: A deeper look into implementing ultrasound neuromodulator patches and how to find nerves using computer vision techniques

Neuromodulation of the vagus nerve is used as a treatment for all kinds of ailments and even as a means of improving the wearer's physiology, however, this form of treatment is not popular due to its invasive nature, high chance of side effects, and short period between reimplementation surgery, as such an alternative is sought in the form of...

A High-Frequency Beamforming Channel for Ultrasound Stimulation and Ultrasonic Powering

New non-imaging ultrasound applications, such as ultrasound stimulation and ultrasonic power transfer, need sub-millimeter volumetric spatial resolution, electronically control of the focal spot location, high ultrasound intensity, and a tiny form factor. Satisfying these requirements demands a high-frequency phased array ultrasound transducer....

Kilohertz alternating current neuromodulation of the pudendal nerves: effects on the anal canal and anal sphincter in rats

The first two objectives were to establish which stimulation parameters of kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) neuromodulation influence the effectiveness of pudendal nerve block and its safety. The third aim was to determine whether KHFAC neuromodulation of the pudendal nerve can relax the pelvic musculature, including the anal...

Maximization of Transmitted Acoustic Intensity from Silicon Integrated Piezoelectric Ultrasound Transducers

2D phased array ultrasonic transducers realized through the combination of bulk piezoelectric ceramics and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits (IC) are enabling a new range of wearable ultrasound therapeutic applications. Traditional therapeutic ultrasound transducers have an air backing layer to maximize...

Integrating Ultrasound Neuromodulation and Imaging: A System Concept for a Non-Invasive Image-Guided Vagus Nerve Stimulator

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been proven to be an effective treatment for patients suffering from drug­-resistant epilepsy. Current vagus nerve stimulators are either implantable devices or bulky, handheld devices. The implant consists of a pulse generator beneath the skin of the chest, connected to electrodes that are wired to the cervical...

Ultrasound Transmitter for Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation

The main objective of this thesis is to design a transmitter channel which is implemented in a 2D phased-array ultrasound neuromodulation system aiming for the vagus nerve stimulation. The vagus nerve has the widest distribution in the parasympathetic system and it oversees several important bodily functions such as the control of mood, immune...

An Integrated 2D Ultrasound Phased Array Transmitter in CMOS with Pixel Pitch-Matched Beamforming

Emerging non-imaging ultrasound applications, such as ultrasonic wireless power delivery to implantable devices and ultrasound neuromodulation, require wearable form factors, millisecond-range pulse durations and focal spot diameters approaching 100 μm with electronic control of its three-dimensional location. None of these are compatible...

An ultrasound receiver channel for vagus nerve imaging

The neuromodulation modality based on the focused ultrasonic stimulation (FUS) has gained its interests for being non-invasive while having unprecedented high spatial resolution and deep penetration. The commercially available image-guided FUS device for neuromodulation setups are normally bulky, by employing an 1-D array transducer element to...

MEMS ultrasound for active implantable devices

During the past decade, Implantable biomedical devices have emerged as an efficient treatment for neurological disorders. Among them, low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) has recently gained interest due to its focusing ability, depth of penetration and reversible effects. Although the exact biophysical mechanism that leads to the interaction...

Changes in H-reflex recruitment after trans-spinal direct current stimulation with multiple electrode configurations

Trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) is an electro-modulatory tool with possible application in the rehabilitation of spinal cord injury. TsDCS generates a small electric field, aiming to induce lasting, functional neuromodulation in the targeted neuronal networks. Earlier studies have shown significant modulatory effects after...