CAREER: Quantitative Optical Imaging of Cerebral Blood Flow

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

This research will develop new methods for imaging cerebral blood flow enabling quantitative, depth-resolved in vivo imaging of blood flow in the brain. These methods will be used to image both the chronic blood flow dynamics in a stroke model and the depth-resolved blood flow changes due to functional stimulation. The three specific aims are: (1) Develop multi-exposure laser speckle contrast imaging for detection of cerebral blood flow. (2) Develop a frequency domain laser Doppler imaging technique for depth-resolved cerebral blood flow imaging, (3) Investigate the functional changes in the brain following ischemic injury. Since it is well known that the brain is able to regain and redistribute function following injury and training, imaging the functional activity in the brain over long periods of time will be valuable. CBET-0644638 Dunn The PI will use the developed methods and instruments to image the cortical blood flow dynamics over a period of several weeks in animal models, e.g. in a rat stroke model, as well as imaging of functional activation changes following ischemic injury. The proposed imaging modality presents relatively broad impact in terms of the information it can provide in a long-term time-resolved quantitative measurements of the blood content. The quantitative measurement and hence the comparisons of neuro-blood-flow in short and long term will a significant advancement for understanding of post-ischemia blood flow and will be beneficial to the development of anti-stroke drugs. Current techniques are available for quantitative measurements of brain hemodynamic responses; however, the feasibility of short and long term correlative measurements by optical imaging techniques has not been investigated so far. The proposed research will incorporate the laser speckle imaging and laser Doppler flowmetry, to find out whether each one can be tuned to different sizes of blood vessel. The educational plan includes high school, undergraduate and graduate students.