Abstract
Alternatives to electricity offer new opportunities for neuromodulation and neuroscience research, enabling more targeted and sometimes less invasive approaches.
Magnetic stimulation uses magnetic fields to induce electrical currents in the brain. Optogenetics combines genetics and light to selectively activate or inhibit neuronal activity. Acoustic neurostimulation uses sound waves or ultrasound to modulate activity or enable localized ablation of an area of the brain without damaging adjacent structures.
These alternatives require the development of new miniaturized, multimodal technologies.