Efficacy of chronic ultrasound neurostimulation on behaviors and distributed brain metabolism in depressive-like mice

Major depression is one of the main factors contributing to the Global Burden of Disease. Current treatment strategies (e.g., antidepressants and neurostimulation techniques) of major depression show some limitations including inaccuracy and invasiveness. Ultrasound neurostimulation (USNS) has been recently introduced as a physical non-invasive method for brain tissue stimulation and has gained increasing interest. In this study, we sought to evaluate the efficacy of transcranial USNS in an unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) mouse model. The results show that transcranial USNS of the infralimbic cortex reduced anxiety-related behaviors as well as some, but not all, depression-related parameters. [18F]-FDG microPET imaging and brain metabolomic analyses showed that USNS triggered the activation of targeted brain region in addition to brain areas at a distance from the targeted zone, alleviating anxiety and depression-related behaviors induced by the UCMS regimen. Transcranial ultrasound neurostimulation show therapeutic potential in some aspects of major depression.