Optical coherence tomography for the quantitative study of cerebrovascular physiology

Abstract

Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT) and OCT angiography are novel methods to investigate cerebrovascular physiology. In the rodent cortex, DOCT flow displays features characteristic of cerebral blood flow, including conservation along nonbranching vascular segments and at branch points. Moreover, DOCT flow values correlate with hydrogen clearance flow values when both are measured simultaneously. These data validate DOCT as a noninvasive quantitative method to measure tissue perfusion over a physiologic range.

Optically quantified cerebral blood flow

“…Currently lacking is an imaging technique that enables absolute blood flow speed measurements in multiple individual vessels at once. In this issue of JCBFM, Srinivasan et al (2011) introduce the use of Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT) (Chen et al, 1997) to fill this gap.…”

A Polished and Reinforced Thinned-skull Window for Long-term Imaging of the Mouse Brain

“…Further, a PoRTS preparation should improve resolution in wide field transcranial imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography 24 and photoacoustic microscopy 25 .…”

Optical coherence Doppler tomography for quantitative cerebral blood flow imaging

“…In recently years, new imaging modalities such as optical coherence Doppler tomography (ODT) have demonstrated the potential for 3D imaging of the cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFv) network on the brain cortex [5,[7][8][9][10][11]. Unlike two-photon microscopy that requires fluorescence tracker, ODT detects blood flow velocity based on the intrinsic Doppler effect of moving scatterers (mostly of RBCs) in the blood stream [12], thus circumventing the need for fluorescence labeling which may induce potential side effects.…”