Kyrstyn Ong

Ultrasonic stimulation is a promising alternative treatment for many neurological disorders since it can selectively and non-invasively target any neural structure. However, the mechanism of ultrasonic stimulation remains unclear since it does not act on specific receptors. Instead, the ultrasound waves are affected by the mechanical state of the surrounding macroscopic environment before acting on molecular structures. It is therefore critical to study the effect of ultrasound from the molecular to the circuit level. My research combines techniques from computational material science, neurobiology, and ion channel biophysics in order to study the effect of ultrasound on ion channel gating. The purpose of my project is to inform the design of therapeutic ultrasound parameters.