Ultrasonic Bioeffects on Peripheral Nerves

A century of studies has demonstrated that the nervous system is sensitive to incident ultrasound. A comprehensive review of these effects was published in 2011 by Gavrilov [L.R. Gavrilov and E.M. Tsirulnikov, “Focused ultrasound as a tool to input sensory information in humans (review),” Acoustical Physics 58, 1–21 (2012)]. From his detailed listing of acoustic carrier frequencies, pulse repetition frequencies, intensities, and exposure time, one overarching lesson can be learned: the nervous system responds in some way to nearly any acoustic energy to which it is exposed. The details of specific responses to specific stimuli vary with what the authors of each study were monitoring. In particular, the responses depend on the portion of the nervous system being insonified.