Unveiling the Brain's Secrets: Using Functional Ultrasound to Understand Behavior
Functional ultrasound imaging (fUS) is a powerful neuroimaging tool that can measure brain-wide vascular signals linked to neuronal activity with high spatial and temporal resolution. Focusing on fundamental neuroscience applications, I will highlight some of the recent technical advancements of fUS used in our laboratory, including the ability to image the entire mouse brain while manipulating specific neuronal circuits with optogenetics. I will show the potential of fUS for advancing our understanding of the neural basis of behavior as fUS is one of the few methods that allows for real-time imaging of activity deep in the brain of behaving animals. Finally, I will discuss the challenges and limitations of fUS that must be overcome to fully unlock its potential for neuroscientists.