Chinese researchers suggest ultrasound may have future potential to treat brain disorders

Chinese researchers have wagged the tail of an unconscious mouse using only ultrasound directed at its brain, in an experiment that could lead to new therapies for a range of diseases in humans that cause uncontrollable movement such as palsy.

In the experiment carried out at a Shenzhen laboratory operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a mouse was anaesthetised and its head delicately held in place in rods on a small platform. An ultrasound transducer pressing down on its skull generated an acoustic pulse 300 milliseconds every three seconds at 5 Megahertz, a frequency four times higher than what was been used in previous attempts.

“This is a strange phenomenon,” said Qiu Weibao, a scientist involved in the research. “We are still scratching our heads because nobody knows exactly what has happened, or why the brain obeys so precisely to sound commands.”

Ultrasound had been widely used in the medical sector, mostly for diagnostic purposes such as pregnancy examinations. But the experiment showed promise as a new therapy to cure brain-related diseases, according to researchers.