Transcranial Ultrasound Neuromodulation and Gamma Entrainment in Neurological Disorders

In the last decade, there has been growing interest in the research of aberrant gamma wave restoration as a potential therapeutic intervention in various neurological disorders. Gamma is the fastest wave in the brain, which originates in the cortex and hippocampus. The slow and fast components of gamma waves in the brain are responsible for the retrieval of memory and storage of information. Aberrant gamma oscillations cause cognitive dysfunction and brain atrophy. As an emerging technique, ultrasound neuromodulation and gamma entrainment have recently been actively investigated to restore gamma oscillation in neurological disorders, mainly Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in animal models and patients. The findings so far support the suitability of ultrasound for the neuromodulation of neurones in reducing or preventing the accumulation of betaamyloid peptides in AD and improving cognitive function in some other neurological disorders. There is clear evidence that ultrasound gamma entrainment is an effective and safe intervention and could be a strong candidate as a potential therapeutic intervention in neurological disorders. Transcranial focused ultrasound, a non-invasive and safe neurostimulation technique, can directly act on bioelectrical neural activity. At present, the research into the use of transcranial ultrasound as a potential therapeutic intervention remains in its infancy. However, increasing evidence suggests that ultrasound neuromodulation and gamma entrainment have the potential to be a promising therapeutic intervention in neurological disorders and be translated into clinical application.

Keywords:Gamma entrainment; Neuromodulation; Neurological disorders; Transcranial ultrasoundand