Non-invasive in vivo acoustoelectric neuromodulation and its contribution to ultrasound stimulation
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Rintoul, Jean
Butler, Christopher
Cleveland, Robin
Grossman, Nir
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation offers therapeutic potential without surgery, yet existing electrical approaches lack spatial precision due to the long wavelengths of electric fields. Here we demonstrate acoustoelectric neuromodulation, a nonlinear interaction between applied acoustic and electric fields that generates spatially localised, low-frequency electric fields at the ultrasound focus. Using in vitro and in vivo mouse electrophysiology, we show motor-evoked responses that depend on both the amplitude and frequency of the acoustoelectric field, with controls excluding purely acoustic or electrical origins. In vivo measurements show acoustoelectric potentials of ≈9 mV, corresponding to estimated focal electric fields of ~6 V/m at 500 kHz and 1 MPa acoustic pressure, with ~1.5 mm extrema spacing demonstrated in phantom experiments. Importantly, we identify an acoustoelectric contribution to conventional ultrasound stimulation, arising from interactions between ultrasound-induced electrical signals and propagating acoustic waves, establishing acoustoelectric neuromodulation as a distinct mechanism influencing ultrasound-based brain stimulation.
Date Issued
2026-06-17
Date Acceptance
2026-05-26
Citation
Nature Communications, 2026, 17
ISSN
2041-1723
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Journal / Book Title
Nature Communications
Volume
17
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1038/s41467-026-73826-2
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 5073