Synthesized skull properties relate to functional changes at rest due to low-intensity focused ultrasound stimulation on M1

Motivation: The effectiveness of low-intensity continuous-theta-burst transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (ctbTUS) influenced by skull homogeneities is unclear, especially without computed tomography (CT) scans. Goal(s): Uncovering relationships of deep-learning-derived T1-based-pseudo-CT skull properties and transducer-scalp-gap space with M1-functional-connectivity (M1-FC) changes induced by ctbTUS. Approach: Twenty healthy volunteers' 3D T1-weighted images were used to estimate transducer-scalp gap space and synthesize pseudo-CT information to correlate with M1-FC changes. Results: ctbTUS-induced FC changes within the left M1 significantly related to skull bone density and transducer-scalp gap space (adjusted-R²=0.509, p= 0.024). Impact: Shedding light on the feasibility of T1-based-pseudo-CT skull properties to predict neuromodulatory effect of ctbTUS.