High resolution modulation of human brain circuits using transcranial focused ultrasound
Event details
| Date | 26.06.2014 |
| Hour | 09:00 › 10:00 |
| Speaker | Dr Wynn Legon, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, VA, USA |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Current non-invasive neuromodulation methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have proven efficacious for inducing transient changes in human cortical activity and behavior. However, these methods suffer from low spatial resolution and typically produce electric fields in the cortex of several centimeters spanning multiple gyri. As such, these methods stimulate the intended area but also surrounding brain regions. In addition, these methods also suffer from a depth/focality trade-off and cannot stimulate brain regions deep to the cortical surface. Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) confers a superior spatial resolution on a millimeter scale and can also be targeted to areas of the brain deep to the cortical surface for potential non-surgical stimulation of sub-cortical structures. With continued research, it is anticipated that tFUS can be widely implemented for advancing human brain mapping efforts as well as be translated to clinical populations for effective non-invasive therapies.
Bio: Dr. Legon is a post-doctoral fellow at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (VTCRI). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, CAN) in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience before conducting post-doctoral fellowships at the Centre for Stroke Recovery at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto CAN examining neuromodulatory strategies for stroke rehabilitation and later at the VTCRI exploring the use of focused ultrasound for non-invasive neuromodulation in humans. The latter work has recently been published in Nature Neuroscience and shows for the first time that focused ultrasound can be targeted through human skull to modulate specific cortical circuits. Dr. Legon’s current research aims to advance the use of focused ultrasound as a non-invasive neuromodulatory platform for use with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and to progress ultrasound as a feasible alternative to existing neuromodulatory technologies for both experimental and clinical use.
Bio: Dr. Legon is a post-doctoral fellow at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (VTCRI). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, CAN) in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience before conducting post-doctoral fellowships at the Centre for Stroke Recovery at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto CAN examining neuromodulatory strategies for stroke rehabilitation and later at the VTCRI exploring the use of focused ultrasound for non-invasive neuromodulation in humans. The latter work has recently been published in Nature Neuroscience and shows for the first time that focused ultrasound can be targeted through human skull to modulate specific cortical circuits. Dr. Legon’s current research aims to advance the use of focused ultrasound as a non-invasive neuromodulatory platform for use with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and to progress ultrasound as a feasible alternative to existing neuromodulatory technologies for both experimental and clinical use.
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