Multimodal Neuroimaging Using Functional Ultrasound (fUS)

In this webinar, Drs. Davide Boido and Antoine Bergel show how state-of-the-art multimodal neuroimaging can be coupled with functional ultrasound (fUS) to study neurovascular coupling across vigilance states.

Although not directly reporting neuronal activity, blood flow-based neuroimaging techniques like BOLD fMRI are the most widely used to image brain activity. However, the recently introduced ultra-fast fUS method has demonstrated great potential to understand brain function.

Dr. Davide Boido begins the webinar by describing how fUS relates to BOLD fMRI and the link between a single voxel fUS signal and neuronal activation inside that voxel. These data provide information about neurovascular coupling’s linearity and fast dynamics when assessed at high spatiotemporal resolution and with short sensory stimuli. He also highlights novel research directions allowed by fUS neuroimaging and the limitations imposed by cerebral blood-flow regulation.

In the second portion of the webinar, Dr. Antoine Bergel discusses how fUS can be combined with electroencephalography (EEG) and video for behavioral neuroscience studies in rodents. He also addresses the current challenges that must be overcome to perform longitudinal studies (days to months). Using specific examples, he demonstrates how combining the large field of view of fUS (depth imaging) with the temporal resolution of electrophysiology can help understand brain function.