A functional ultrasound brain GPS for automatic vascular-based neuronavigation

Abstract Recent advances in ultrasound imaging triggered by transmission of ultrafast plane waves have rendered functional (fUS) a valuable neuroimaging modality capable mapping cerebral vascular networks, but also for the indirect capture neuronal activity with high sensitivity thanks to neurovascular coupling. However, expansion fUS is still limited difficulty identify structures during experiments based solely on Doppler images and shape vessels. In order tackle this challenge, study introduces brain positioning system (BPS), GPS brain. The BPS whole-brain neuronavigation on-the-fly automatic alignment ultrasensitive transcranial Power volumic common templates such as Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinates Framework. This method relies online registration complex fingerprint studied animal pre-aligned reference atlas, thus allowing rapid matching identification structures. We quantified accuracy using super-resolution obtained at microscopic scale Ultrasound Localization Microscopy found error 44 µm 96 intra-animal inter-animal registration, respectively. proposed approach outperforms manual landmark recognition performed expert neuroscientists (inter-annotator errors 215 259 µm). Using coupled Atlas, we demonstrated capability position itself automatically over chosen anatomical obtain corresponding activation maps even oblique planes. Finally, show that can be used acquire estimate connectivity matrices automatically. allows navigation could become key asset ensure standardized protocols non-expert researchers.