Focused ultrasound modifications of neural circuit activity in a mammalian brain.

The application of focused, pulsed ultrasound was studied as a method of modifying the activity of a local neural circuit of the mammalian brain. An in vitro hippocampal preparation was used to facilitate delivery, dosimetry and assessment of mechanisms of ultrasound effects. Extracellular evoked potentials were recorded from cell and dendritic layers of the rat hippocampal dentate gyrus.