Defining the optimal age for focal lesioning in a rat model of transcranial HIFU

This study aimed at determining the optimal age group for high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) experiments for producing lesions in rats. Younger rats have thinner skulls, allowing for the acoustic waves to propagate easily through the skull without causing burns of the skin and brain surface. Younger rats however, have a smaller brain that can make HIFU focusing in the brain parenchyma challenging because of the focus size. In this study, we conducted transcranial HIFU sonications in rat pups of different ages (from 9 to 43d) with a 1.5MHzMR compatible transducer. The electric power was selected to always reach a target temperature of at least 50°C in the parenchyma. The thickness of the skull and of the brain parenchyma was measured using T2-weighted MR imaging. Results showed that the thickness of the brain parenchyma increased quickly from P9 to P12, reaching 8.5mm at P16, and then increasing gradually along with age. The skull thickness increased gradually from P9 to P26, and then more quickly after P30. The ratio between brain parenchyma thickness and skull thickness decreased gradually with age. For the pups at 30d, the temperature in the brain tissue adjacent to the skull increased to 48.9°C, and those from the rodents older than 33d reached 60°C or higher, which can produce undesired irreversible damage in this location. We conclude that young rats aged 16-26d are optimal for experiments producing transcranial HIFU lesions in rats with an intact skull.