Brain Cells Controlled By Sound Waves In New Experiment (VIDEO)

First Posted: Sep 16, 2015 12:12 PM EDT

For the first time, scientists have used sound waves to control brain cells. Otherwise classified as sonogentics, the process works by simulating neurons via ultrasound with the help of genetic modification and microbubbles. The study results are published in the journal Nature Communications.

A team of researchers at the Salk Institute Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory bred worms with genetically modified nervous systems to amplify low-intensity ultrasound waves.

"The microbubbles grow and shrink in tune with the ultrasound pressure waves," said first study author Stuard Ibsen, via the International Business Times (IBT). "These oscillations can then propagate non-invasively into the worm."

When pitches were too high for human ears, researchers found that the tiny nematodes involved in the experiment changed direction. They also noted how the worms demonstrated the power of what researchers referred to as dubbed sonogentics, according to The Guardian; in other words, this helps activate ranges of the brain, heart and muscle cells coming from outside the body via ultrasound.

"In contrast to light, low-frequency ultrasound can travel through the body without any scattering. Light-based techniques are great for some uses and I think we're going to continue to see developments on that front. But this is a new, additional tool to manipulate neurons and other cells in the body," added senior study author Sreekanth Chalasani, via IBT.

The study authors noted how the worms reveal a potential for a new procedure that could replace the invasiveness of deep-brain stimulation, which delivers electrical pulses to the brain and is typically used to treat Parkinson's disease.

Want to learn more about the process? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.