• neuromodulation
• SONIC model
• electrical stimulation
• modeling
• peripheral fiber
• LIFUS
• ultrasound

Low intensity focused ultrasound stimulation (LIFUS) has recently emerged as a promising selective, reversible, and non-invasive neuromodulation technique. However, model predictions concerning the behaviour of morphologically realistic neural structures are still not available.
For this reason, this thesis deals with the development of models of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers able to simulate the modulation upon both exogenous ultrasonic and electrical stimulation.
Existing peripheral fiber models, built to deal with electrical stimulation, are adapted with SONIC model to provide predictions about acoustic modulation as well. In order to reproduce a realistic ultrasonic stimulation, the model is refined with the implementation of the acoustic field induced by an external planar transducer. Finally, the impact of sonication parameters on excitability thresholds, fiber selectivity and firing rate is analysed in detail.
This computational study provides a quantitative comparison between electrical and acoustic stimulation, and may be used as reference for further experimental studies and potential clinical applications.