Ultrasound therapy improves poststroke motor coordination in mouse model

Following stroke, patients have a hard time performing coordinated movements. Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is emerging as a treatment to improve poststroke coordination, but the mechanisms for this motor improvement remain unclear. 

New in JNeurosci, Yi Yuan, from Yanshan University, and colleagues used a mouse model of ischemic stroke to shed light on how TUS interacts with the brain during behavior to improve coordination. 

The researchers measured activity in the cortex, which supports movement, as mice walked around. Over the course of 1 week, the researchers used TUS in the stroke-damaged brain areas of the mice. TUS improved gait and restored communication between cortical brain networks. Improvements in brain networks were further linked to observed behavioral improvements.

According to the authors, this work points to neural mechanisms that ultrasound may target to improve motor function, though work in more advanced animal models is needed.