Devices and methods for modulating brain activity

Abstract

Devices and methods for brain modulation are provided herein. A device may comprise a body and components for activating the brain. Such components include ultrasound transducers. The devices are used to provide ultrasound waves to brain structures in a subject wearing a device for methods to treat traumatic brain injury, affect postural control, affect wakefulness, attention, and alertness, to provide memory control, to alter cerebrovascular hemodynamics, to minimize stress, and to reinforce behavioral actions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ultrasonic method for modulating brain activity of a user, the method comprising:
 stimulating one or more brain circuits of the user by delivering, from a wearable interface, transcranial ultrasound at an intensity of between 0.0001 mW/cm 2  to about 100 W/cm 2  and an ultrasound frequency in a range of about 0.02 MHz to about 10.0 MHz,   wherein the wearable interface is worn on the user's head and includes at least one ultrasonic transducer; and   monitoring the user's brain activity during the stimulation of the one or more brain circuits.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining, in a controller coupled to the wearable interface, a waveform emitted by the at least one ultrasound transducer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein monitoring comprises any one of photoacoustic tomography, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), magnetoencepholography (MEG), and electroencephalography (EEG). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein monitoring comprises monitoring the user's brain activity from one or more sensors on the wearable interface. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein monitoring comprises detecting specific thalamocortical oscillations. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting information between the wearable interface and one or more remote processors. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting instructions to the wearable interface to modulate one or more of an ultrasound waveform and a frequency, intensity or waveform characteristic to adjust the ultrasound being delivered to the user based on the user's brain activity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound intensity at the one or more brain circuits is in a range of 10 mW/cm 2  to 500 mW/cm 2 . 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer is configured to deliver ultrasound energy with a pulse duration in the range from 100 to 10000 microseconds. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pulse duration is a variable pulse duration. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing chemical, pharmaceutical, electrical, magnetic or light therapy before, during, or after ultrasound is provided. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein ultrasound is delivered to the brain to attenuate or terminate seizure activity. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein stimulating one or more brain circuits comprises applying ultrasound to a brain region, wherein the brain region comprises one of: a hippocampal formation, hippocampus proper, amygdala, thalamus, cerebellum, striatum, entorhinal cortex, perirhinal cortex, cerebral cortex, prefrontal cortex, auditory cortex, visual cortex, somatosensory cortex, motor cortex, locus coeruleus, a paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), adrenal medulla, a pons, basal forebrain, a hypothalamus, tuberomamillary nuclei, basolateral amygdala, ventral tegmental area, medial forebrain bundle, a dorsal raphe nucleus, a mesolimbic pathway, a mesocortical pathway, connections between the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) and the nucleus accumbens, an anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), basolateral amygdala (BLA), or a ventral tegmental area (VTA), a vestibular system, aural region, visual region, olfactory region, proprioceptive region, afferents or efferents of the regions, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising identifying the brain structure to be activated. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising directing at least one ultrasound transducer to a brain structure to be activated. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing pulsed ultrasound waveforms. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing continuous ultrasound waveforms. 
     
     
         18 . An ultrasonic method for modulating brain activity of a user, the method comprising:
 stimulating one or more brain circuits of the user by delivering, from a wearable interface, transcranial ultrasound at an intensity of between 0.0001 mW/cm 2  to about 100 W/cm 2  and an ultrasound frequency in a range of about 0.02 MHz to about 10.0 MHz,   wherein the wearable interface is worn on the user's head and includes at least one ultrasonic transducer; and   monitoring the user's brain activity during the stimulation of the one or more brain circuits; and   modulating one or more of the ultrasound frequency, intensity, a waveform characteristic, or a position of the one or more ultrasonic transducers to adjust the ultrasound being delivered to the user based on the user's brain activity.   
     
     
         19 . An ultrasonic method for modulating brain activity of a user, the method comprising:
 stimulating one or more brain circuits of the user by delivering, from a wearable interface, transcranial ultrasound at an intensity of between 0.0001 mW/cm 2  to about 100 W/cm 2  and an ultrasound frequency in a range of about 0.02 MHz to about 10.0 MHz,   wherein the wearable interface is worn on the user's head and includes at least one ultrasonic transducer; and   monitoring the user's brain activity during the stimulation of the one or more brain circuits with any one of: photoacoustic tomography, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), magnetoencepholography (MEG), and electroencephalography (EEG); and   modulating one or more of the ultrasound frequency, intensity, a waveform characteristic, or a position of the one or more ultrasonic transducers to adjust the ultrasound being delivered to the user based on the user's brain activity.