Welcome to the fUSI community!¶

Greetings. If you've managed to stumble upon this particular digital outpost, it is safe to assume that you are, in all probability, an aspiring or established fUSI user (if not check the next section). Here, we aspire to offer you advice, resources, and a vague sense of reassurance as you navigate the occasionally perplexing wonders of fUSI.

But first, a heartfelt welcome! You’ve joined a still nascent community, and we are delighted to have you aboard this surely successful adventure. Rest assured, from this moment forth, you will no longer be alone in facing the myriad peculiarities of artifact-laden data, rogue flashes, or suspiciously dark images. Whether you are a grizzled veteran of science who has recently acquired a fUSI machine (and possibly a mild sense of existential dread) or an intrepid young master's student embarking on your very first thesis project, we know the peculiar mix of excitement and terror that this relatively new technology can inspire. Fear not. Scroll through these pages, and with any luck, you’ll uncover the precise help you were searching for—or, even better, the sort of help you didn’t realize you needed.

Welcome in the Hitchhiker guide of fUSI technology.

What does it mean to be a fUSI user ?¶

If you’re wondering, it’s likely because you’ve missed one of the most exciting techniques to emerge in the last two decades for studying brain function. In essence, functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI) uses acoustic waves —commonly used in clinical settings, such as imaging unborn babies in the womb— to measure cerebral blood volume (i.e., perfusion), which is closely related to the BOLD signal in fMRI. fUSI offers relatively fast acquisition rates (typically between 0.1 and 1 Hz) alongside excellent spatial resolution (~100 µm).

Why Is This Important?¶

Because fUSI provides a minimally invasive method for studying animal models (transcranially in mice or via imaging windows in many species such as mice, ferrets, primates, birds, lizards…) and humans. For instance, in humans, it can be applied through the fontanel in infants, directly on the brain during surgery, or via imaging windows after certain injuries. Excitingly, advanced correction methods may soon enable its use through the human skull or bigger animals.

What truly sets fUSI apart is its portability and accessibility. The scanner is compact and standard probes are about a centimeter wide. Additionally, it is straightforward to operate, requiring no specialized training to acquire images. This makes fUSI an incredibly valuable tool for mesoscale brain studies.

What Does This Mean for Researchers?¶

With great simplicity comes great responsibility. The accessibility of fUSI and its ease of use mean that the experimenter must bridge multiple areas of expertise —ranging from animal handling and surgery to data curation and analysis. To support this, we’ve compiled introductions to these topics along with relevant documentation and references to help you build the necessary skills.

In summary, fUSI often demands being a jack-of-all-trades. While failure can be a powerful learning tool, we believe that sharing experiences and fostering the exchange of knowledge will help flatten the learning curve, allowing us to overcome technical challenges and advance toward more meaningful and exciting science.

Discord¶

In addition to this website, we invite users to join our Discord community for more dynamic discussions. On Discord, you can engage with the community to ask technical questions about experimental practices, imaging sequences, or even neuroscience topics you’re not yet familiar with.

It’s also a great place to stay informed about recent articles, share and promote your own projects, and connect with potential collaborators. Lastly, we’re working to organize online meetings and in-person workshops, which you can learn about through the platform.

fUSI-BIDS¶

Since 2022, we have embarked on a community-driven effort to establish a standard for formatting fUSI datasets. We chose to collaborate with the well-established BIDS (Brain Imaging Data Structure) community and are working toward proposing an extension specifically for fUSI.

To achieve this, we need input from users to identify the essential metadata required to accommodate a wide range of use cases and facilitate the use and reuse of fUSI data. If you’re interested in contributing, we have a dedicated section on this website where you can learn more, or you can directly explore our BEP (BIDS Extension Proposal) online document.

Additionally, you can join the conversation on Discord, request to be added to our mailing list, and participate in our bi-monthly meetings.

This Website¶

This website should remain forever a work in progress and will continue to evolve alongside advancements in the field, new publications, and the development of innovative tools. An outline of the different pages is available on the homepage.

If you notice any inaccuracies, feel that a section is missing, or would like to contribute content, please reach out to us on Discord.