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The subject of this review is the description and analysis of researches on application of focused ultrasound for stimulation of somatosensory, hearing and other neural structures of the peripheral nervous system. The main parameters of focused ultrasound, factors determining its biological effects, and methods of stimulation of peripheral nervous structures are discussed. Different stimulation effects and sensations are considered. A variety of practical applications of ultrasound stimulation of peripheral nervous structures is presented, including diagnostics of neurological and dermatological diseases, evaluation of the efficiency of anesthetic and analgesic drugs, principles of the development of an ultrasound tactile display, diagnostics of hearing disorders, possibilities of ultrasound hearing prosthetics, etc. The part of the review related with the methods and results (Sections 3-7) is based, first of all, on the data of the studies carried out in a number Russian Institutes from the beginning of 1970s and until last years. These results were published presumably in Russian journals and books and not well known to investigators in other countries. Some of the obtained results and offered approaches still have a current interest and practical significance. During the last decade, investigations of ultrasound stimulation of peripheral nervous structures began to develop actively in a number of countries. A review of a part of them is also presented. 

focused ultrasound, HIFU, peripheral nervous system, somatic nervous system, sensory information, receptors, sensations, stimulation, nerve fiber, radiation force, diagnostics of neurological diseases.