帕金森病、癫痫和抑郁症等脑功能性疾病的有效干预和治疗是重大医学难题，其主要病理改变导致了脑深部核团及神经环路的功能障碍。脑深部神经核团刺激与环路调控是研究其发病机制及对其干预治疗的主要途径，也是脑科学研究的重大前沿问题。现有电极刺激和光遗传学等神经调控技术与工具为侵入式手段，限制了其在脑疾病研究中的应用。超声波作为一种机械波，其力学效应控制神经元电活动的新机制的发现，使其成为能无创地开展神经刺激的新手段。本项目针对脑功能和脑疾病研究的需求，研制大规模阵元面阵超声辐射力发生器、跨颅超声脑深部刺激和反应监测的仪器，并开发超声敏感离子通道遗传操作技术，以实现对脑深部核团和神经环路开展无创、多点和特异性的刺激与调控。该仪器将为脑深部核团刺激提供一种无创精准的新手段；实现细胞和脑区特异的神经调控，为脑疾病临床诊疗以及神经科学基础研究提供革新性的工具，具有重大医学科学价值。

Stimulation and modulation of neural circuit are among the fundamental ways of neuroscience to probe the neural mechanisms from molecular to behavioral levels, embedding the scientific and technological prospects to effectively treat entities including Parkinson Disease, Epilepsy and Depression. The invasiveness of the traditional deep brain stimulation techniques involving electric and optogenetic properties has limited their utility in the neural circuit stimulation associated with the deep located subcortical nucleus. This “ultrasound deep brain stimulation (U-DBS)” project proposed to develop a novel research instrument with large scaled ultrasound radiation force generated by plane arrays tailored for the non-invasive, dynamic network neuromodulation of nonhuman primates and human brain. The technology has fundamentally new mechanism of neuromodulation using the unique physical properties of acoustic radiation force in controlling the mechanical-sensitive membranous proteins or “sonogenetics” method. The tool aims to provide a revolutionary way of great clinical and academic importance towards non-invasive, safe, precise and reliable deep brain stimulation and neuromodulation.