High resolution transcranial acoustoelectric imaging of current densities from a directional deep brain stimulator

Objective: New innovations in deep brain stimulation (DBS) enable directional current steering – allowing more precise electrical stimulation of the targeted brain structures for Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and other neurological disorders. While intra-operative navigation through MRI or CT approaches millimeter accuracy for placing the DBS leads, no existing modality provides feedback of the currents as they spread from the contacts through the brain tissue. In this study, we investigate transcranial acoustoelectric imaging (tAEI) as a new modality to non-invasively image and characterize current produced from a directional DBS lead. tAEI uses ultrasound (US) to modulate tissue resistivity to generate detectable voltage signals proportional to the local currents. Approach: An 8-channel directional DBS lead (Infinity 6172ANS, Abbott Inc) was inserted inside three adult human skulls submerged in 0.9% NaCl. A 2.5MHz linear array delivered US pulses through the transtemporal window and focused near the contacts on the lead, while a custom amplifier and acquisition system recorded the acoustoelectric (AE) interaction used to generate images. Main Results: tAEI detected monopolar current with stimulation pulses as short as 100 µs with an SNR ranging from 10 – 27 dB when using safe US pressure (mechanical indices