Development of a Mobile Platform for Acoustoelectric Brain Imaging in Rats

The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility of using acoustoelectric brain imaging (ABI) to map physiological activity in the rat hippocampus using depth and surface recording electrodes on a new mobile system. A new method in imaging brain activity using the acoustoelectric (AE) allows for the combination of high temporal and spatial resolution imaging beyond existing techniques. AE imaging takes advantage of mechanoelectrical properties of ultrasound (US) pressure waves which modulate the tissue's electrical resistivity. Using surface and depth electrodes we record these modulated signals to electrically map local brain activity. In recent experiments we have been able to image evoked responses in the hippocampus of an anesthetized rat showing high temporal correlations between low frequency recordings and ABI. Further optimization of ABI can allow for better detection of evoked potentials in the brain to allow for faster real-time scanning possibilities with capabilities of miniaturizing a system for hand held imaging.