Functional Ultrasound Imaging from Scratch

Functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI) is an emerging brain imaging technology that tracks neural activity by detecting blood flow changes through ultrasound, offering potential advantages over fMRI including higher resolution, smaller size, lower cost, and better signal-to-noise ratio. The technique has been demonstrated in animal studies and limited human cases, with potential to be paired with focused ultrasound therapy for treating neurological disorders and enhanced through contrast agents or gene therapies. The main challenge is that ultrasound cannot penetrate the skull, though it has been used intraoperatively and in patients with specialized cranial implants.