Patrick Ye
Bioengineering
Bio-X SIGF Fellow 2013/2014  
Profs. Kim Pauly (Radiology), William Newsome (Neurobiology), and Pierre Khuri-Yakub (Electrical Engineering)

Ultrasound neuromodulation is a noninvasive method shown to be safe and effective for stimulating and inhibiting neural activity in vivo. While several neuromodulatory and physiological effects have been demonstrated with ultrasound neuromodulation in vivo, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Patrick proposes to examine whether cavitation, thermal and acoustic radiation force bioeffects are causal of ultrasound neuromodulation using a combination of in vivo, imaging, and computational simulation techniques. Equipped with greater understanding of the underlying mechanism, he aims to develop ultrasound neuromodulation as a potential method to inhibit seizure activity and perhaps lead to the development of novel therapies for other neurological disorders.