Key result
Precision ultrasound targeted to the spleen or liver successfully modulated peripheral nerve pathways to reduce inflammation and prevent hyperglycemia in preclinical rodent models.
Why the study?
Implant-based and electrical nerve stimulation face challenges that noninvasive ultrasound neuromodulation of the peripheral nervous system could potentially solve.
Does noninvasive ultrasound neuromodulation of the spleen or liver improve inflammatory and metabolic markers in preclinical rodent models?
Does noninvasive ultrasound neuromodulation of the spleen or liver improve inflammatory and metabolic markers in preclinical rodent models?
Noninvasive ultrasound targeted to specific organs can modulate peripheral nerve pathways to reduce inflammation and regulate glucose, offering a potential alternative to implantable bioelectronic devices.
Should not inform clinical practice; hypothesis-generating for ultrasound neuromodulation in human inflammatory or metabolic disease.
This review describes work from several research groups in which ultrasound is being used to target the peripheral nervous system and perform neuromodulation noninvasively. Although these techniques are in their infancy compared to implant-based and electrical nerve stimulation, if successful this new noninvasive method for neuromodulation could solve many of the challenges facing the field of bioelectronic medicine. The work outlined herein shows results in which two different (potentially therapeutic) targets are stimulated, a neuroimmune pathway within the spleen and a nutrient/sensory pathway within the liver. Both data and discussion are provided that compare this new noninvasive technique to implant-based nerve stimulation.
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Puleo et al. (2019) conducted a review in Inflammation and metabolic disease. Precision ultrasound neuromodulation vs. Sham or implant-based electrical stimulation was evaluated. Precision ultrasound targeted to the spleen or liver successfully modulated peripheral nerve pathways to reduce inflammation and prevent hyperglycemia in preclinical rodent models.
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