Patent ID: 9592409
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61N

Claim:
1. A method for modifying neuronal activity within a brain of a mammal, the steps comprising: a) using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system to identify a location in the brain that is to receive pulses of focused ultrasound, the identified location including a live neuronal circuit in the brain of the mammal; b) using an ultrasound system to apply pulses of focused ultrasound to the identified location to release naturally occurring hormones and modulating a level of the naturally occurring hormones, each pulse of focused ultrasound having (i) a prescribed tone burst duration (TBD) in a range of 2-100 milliseconds (ms) and the pulses being applied during a continuous sonication period having a prescribed total sonication duration (TSD) between 0.1 and 2 seconds in order to increase neuronal activity of the neuronal circuit and increase a BOLD response of the neuronal circuit that is measurable using the MRI, or (ii) a TBD less than 2 ms and the pulses being applied during a sonication period having a TSD between 2 and 9 seconds in order to decrease neuronal activity of the neuronal circuit and inhibit the measurable BOLD response.