Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients

Bedside monitoring of brain function in severely brain-injured patients remains a critical clinical challenge. We demonstrate the translational potential of functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging for this purpose. In 6 comatose patients (Glasgow coma scale ≤ 8) with cranial windows after decompressive...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zihao Chen, Na Li, Caihua Xi, Jiaru He, Jiejun Zhu, Gang Wu, Jinzhao Xia, Chunlong Fei, Lei Sun, Hongzhi Xu, Zhihai Qiu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2025-01-01
Series:Research
Online Access:https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0709
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850272043860230144
author Zihao Chen
Na Li
Caihua Xi
Jiaru He
Jiejun Zhu
Gang Wu
Jinzhao Xia
Chunlong Fei
Lei Sun
Hongzhi Xu
Zhihai Qiu
author_facet Zihao Chen
Na Li
Caihua Xi
Jiaru He
Jiejun Zhu
Gang Wu
Jinzhao Xia
Chunlong Fei
Lei Sun
Hongzhi Xu
Zhihai Qiu
author_sort Zihao Chen
collection DOAJ
description Bedside monitoring of brain function in severely brain-injured patients remains a critical clinical challenge. We demonstrate the translational potential of functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging for this purpose. In 6 comatose patients (Glasgow coma scale ≤ 8) with cranial windows after decompressive craniectomy, we used a 7.8-MHz transducer optimized for cortical depths of 1.5 to 4 cm to perform real-time fUS during auditory stimulation. We observed task-related increases in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in relevant brain regions (P < 0.001, t test), which correlated with subsequent neurological recovery at 9-month follow-up. These findings establish fUS as a sensitive and portable tool for bedside brain function assessment, offering potential for improved prognostication, treatment guidance, and development of targeted rehabilitative strategies.
format Article
id doaj-art-bcc78ddebbcb4a5a8693c5fd694deada
institution OA Journals
issn 2639-5274
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
record_format Article
series Research
spelling doaj-art-bcc78ddebbcb4a5a8693c5fd694deada2025-08-20T01:51:58ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742025-01-01810.34133/research.0709Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose PatientsZihao Chen0Na Li1Caihua Xi2Jiaru He3Jiejun Zhu4Gang Wu5Jinzhao Xia6Chunlong Fei7Lei Sun8Hongzhi Xu9Zhihai Qiu10Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519031, P. R. China.Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519031, P. R. China.Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University; National Center for Neurological Disorders; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration; Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University; Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery; Department of Neurosurgery &amp; Neurocritical Care, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China.Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519031, P. R. China.Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519031, P. R. China.Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University; National Center for Neurological Disorders; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration; Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University; Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery; Department of Neurosurgery &amp; Neurocritical Care, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China.Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519031, P. R. China.School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shannxi, P. R. China.Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR 999077, P. R. China.Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University; National Center for Neurological Disorders; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Restoration and Neural Regeneration; Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University; Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery; Department of Neurosurgery &amp; Neurocritical Care, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China.Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519031, P. R. China.Bedside monitoring of brain function in severely brain-injured patients remains a critical clinical challenge. We demonstrate the translational potential of functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging for this purpose. In 6 comatose patients (Glasgow coma scale ≤ 8) with cranial windows after decompressive craniectomy, we used a 7.8-MHz transducer optimized for cortical depths of 1.5 to 4 cm to perform real-time fUS during auditory stimulation. We observed task-related increases in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in relevant brain regions (P < 0.001, t test), which correlated with subsequent neurological recovery at 9-month follow-up. These findings establish fUS as a sensitive and portable tool for bedside brain function assessment, offering potential for improved prognostication, treatment guidance, and development of targeted rehabilitative strategies.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0709
spellingShingle Zihao Chen
Na Li
Caihua Xi
Jiaru He
Jiejun Zhu
Gang Wu
Jinzhao Xia
Chunlong Fei
Lei Sun
Hongzhi Xu
Zhihai Qiu
Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients
Research
title Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients
title_full Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients
title_fullStr Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients
title_full_unstemmed Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients
title_short Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients
title_sort functional ultrasound imaging of auditory responses in comatose patients
url https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0709
work_keys_str_mv AT zihaochen functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT nali functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT caihuaxi functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT jiaruhe functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT jiejunzhu functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT gangwu functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT jinzhaoxia functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT chunlongfei functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT leisun functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT hongzhixu functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients
AT zhihaiqiu functionalultrasoundimagingofauditoryresponsesincomatosepatients