CAREER: Mapping deep brain functions with super-resolution photoacoustic imaging

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

Regulating the oxygen supply is a key task of a normally functioning brain. A mismatch between oxygen supply and demand can lead to serious injury and brain dysfunction, such as in Alzheimer’s disease. This CAREER project aims to develop a new set of imaging technologies and data science tools for mapping the oxygen metabolism in the brain, with high clarity and accuracy. The results of this project will allow the study of the brain’s functions at the scale of a single capillary. The technology and knowledge generated from this project will result in training materials that can educate the next generation of neural engineers and inspire a diverse array of students in the STEM fields. Much is still unknown about how the brain regulates its hemodynamic functions in various physiological and pathological conditions. One major reason for this knowledge gap is the lack of technologies that can provide noninvasive measurement of the brain’s hemodynamics with high spatial resolutions. This CAREER project aims to develop a super-resolution photoacoustic tomography approach that can image a mouse brain’s hemodynamic functions with consistently high resolution throughout the brain volume. The new technology will report the absolute values of the blood oxygenation, flow speed, and oxygen metabolism in deep brain. The outcome of this project will generate the much-needed new knowledge about the brain at fine scales for the broad neuroscience community. This outcome is critical for studying the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of brain functions at different physiological conditions, as well as understanding and treating the impairment of brain functions due to various brain illnesses. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.