ISTU meeting highlight: ultrasound-based neurostimulation presentation
Matt Eames, Ph.D., Senior Project Engineer for the FUS Foundation’s Brain Program, filed this blog following the recent ISTU 2011 meeting, held April 11-13 in New York City:
Among many interesting invited talks at this year’s ISTU in Manhattan was that of William Tyler, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Science at Virginia Tech (http://www.vtc.vt.edu/research/faculty/william-jamie-tyler.html), on the topic of ultrasound-based neurostimulation. Dr. Tyler, a prominent member of the FUS Foundation’s Collaborative Research Network, presented a fast-paced talk explaining the mechanics of neurotransmitters and synaptic junctions, and how this knowledge led him to explore the use of ultrasound – as opposed to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) – as a non-invasive means to disrupt or alter neuronal function. While still in the research realm, it is hoped that the regulatory approval environment for clinical procedures based on this technology will be relatively straightforward due to the extremely