Home Department: Electrical Engineering
Mentor: Todd Coleman (Bioengineering)

"A Novel Ultrasound-Based Vagus Nerve Stimulator"

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is useful in many medical contexts, but traditional electrically-based VNS is imprecise and hard to control. Auricular ultrasound-based VNS is a promising noninvasive technology with less cutaneous sensation and greater spatial resolution for targeted stimulation. However, no existing ultrasound VNS devices have adjustable stimulation parameters. The purpose of this project is to develop a tunable research platform to extensively test ultrasound VNS. The device can adjust stimulation energy amplitude, time, and pulse repetition frequency while requiring minimal power. This work will equip future VNS studies with a broader set of research tools.