Functional Ultrasound
Functional Ultrasound - Related Videos
07:12
Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Diaphragm Function
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Cited by 7 •
2014
Diagnostic ultrasound imaging has proven to be effective in diagnosing various respiratory diseases in human and animal subjects. We demonstrate a comprehensive ultrasound protocol utilized by Dr. Zuo's lab to analyze diaphragm kinetics specifically in mouse models. This is also a non-invasive research technique which can provide quantitative information on mouse respiratory muscle function.
03:47
Functional Imaging of Cerebral Blood Flow Using Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound
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2025
Source: Hage, B. D. et. al., Functional Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound for Monitoring Cerebral Blood Flow. J. Vis. Exp. (2021) This video demonstrates the use of Doppler ultrasound as a functional imaging tool to measure cerebral blood flow velocity, or CBFV in real time. It highlights how frequency shifts in the middle cerebral artery during tasks like breath-holding reveal changes in CBFV, offering insights into brain activity and vascular dynamics.
07:44
Assessment of Cerebral Lateralization in Children using Functional Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (fTCD)
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Cited by 30 •
2010
Functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) is a simple and non-invasive ultrasound technique which can be used to assess the lateralization of cognitive functions, especially language, and is suitable for use with children.
06:35
Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial Function: A Technical Guideline of the Flow-mediated Dilation Test
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Cited by 56 •
2016
The flow mediated dilation (FMD) test is the most commonly utilized, non-invasive, ultrasound assessment of endothelial function in humans. Although the FMD test has been related with the prediction of future cardiovascular disease and events, it is a physiological assessment with many inherent confounding factors that need to be considered.
10:53
A Novel Application of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Imaging
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Cited by 14 •
2013
We describe a new ultrasound-based vector tissue Doppler imaging technique to measure muscle contraction velocity, strain and strain rate with sub-millisecond temporal resolution during dynamic activities. This approach provides complementary measurements of dynamic muscle function and could lead to a better understanding of mechanisms underlying musculoskeletal disorders.
FAQs
Ultrafast ultrasound pulses repeatedly interrogate brain tissue, while Doppler processing analyzes motion-related changes in the returning signals. These measurements reveal task-associated variations in blood volume or blood flow. The approach therefore converts rapid acoustic signal changes into spatially resolved information about vascular responses accompanying neural activity.
Neurovascular coupling links changes in neural activity with corresponding changes in cerebral blood flow. Functional Ultrasound detects the vascular component rather than neural electrical activity directly, so the measured response reflects how brain activity is accompanied by blood-flow or blood-volume variation. This relationship provides the physiological basis for mapping task-related function.
Blood-volume and blood-flow variations describe related but distinct aspects of the vascular response. Measuring either can reveal activity-associated changes, while recognizing the distinction helps interpret what the Doppler signal represents. This flexibility allows Functional Ultrasound studies to examine vascular dynamics in ways suited to the experimental question and available acoustic access.
Functional Ultrasound obtains activity-related vascular information with ultrasound rather than ionizing radiation. Its combination of high spatial and temporal resolution can support detailed observation of changing brain responses, while the absence of ionizing radiation broadens its suitability for repeated measurements. The technique remains dependent on access through an acoustic window in the skull or during surgery.
The ultrasound system must obtain an acoustic window to the brain. Studies may use an available opening through the skull or perform measurements during surgery, depending on the experimental setting. Once access is established, ultrafast pulses and Doppler processing can track task-related vascular changes during sensory, behavioral, or connectivity experiments.
Neuroscientists may choose this technique when they need sensitive measurements of brain function in animal models, during behavior, or in settings where conventional imaging is impractical. Its portability and temporal and spatial resolution support studies of sensory processing, connectivity, and disease-related vascular changes, including applications that may extend into clinical settings.
The method can support investigations of brain connectivity, sensory processing, and behavior by mapping vascular responses associated with those processes. It can also reveal disease-related vascular changes, making it relevant to both basic neuroscience and translational research. The resulting activity maps help relate experimental tasks or conditions to regional brain function.
Portability makes Functional Ultrasound useful when conventional imaging systems are difficult to use or unavailable for a particular experiment. Researchers can apply it in animal studies and other constrained settings while retaining sensitivity to brain-function-related vascular changes. This flexibility supports monitoring during behavior and contributes to its growing relevance in clinical contexts.