Optical methods have revolutionized the way we assess and perturb neuronal activity. Recently, several groups have begun to use sonic energy of high frequencies to accomplish these goals. Like light, sound is a wave (a pressure wave). This allows it to be emitted from multiple sources and flexibly superimposed into a spatially confined region. The main advantage of sound waves, compared to light, is that their energy is much less attenuated by biological tissues. This way, sound waves can perturb and read from deep tissue targets remotely, thus opening new noninvasive applications. In this talk, I will show how ultrasound has been used to modulate and read out neural activity. I will also talk about the mechanisms involved.


Seminar, June 11, 2019, 12:00. ICFO’s Seminar Room

Hosted by Prof. Michael Krieg