RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Focused Ultrasound Enhances Decision-Making in Monkeys
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 041152
DO 10.1101/041152
A1 Matthew E. Downs
A1 Amanda Buch
A1 Maria Eleni Karakatsani
A1 Tobias Teichert
A1 Carlos Sierra
A1 Shangshang Chen
A1 Elisa E. Konofagou
A1 Vincent P Ferrera
YR 2016
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/02/23/041152.abstract
AB Noninvasive brain stimulation using ultrasound has many potential applications as a research and clinical tool. Here, we investigated the effect of focused ultrasound (FUS) with systemically administered microbubbles on perceptual decision-making behavior in monkeys. We targeted FUS to the putamen in one hemisphere to open the blood-brain barrier, and then tested behavioral performance 3-4 hours later. On days when the monkeys were treated with FUS, their decisions were faster and more accurate than days without sonication. The performance improvement was greater for responses made with the hand contralateral to the treated hemisphere. FUS also enhanced the effect of a low dose of haloperidol. The results suggest that a two-minute application of FUS can have a sustained impact on cognitive performance, and can increase the efficacy of psychoactive medications.