Project Summary/Abstract Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy (DCS) is a powerful new tool to assess cerebral and skeletal muscle microvascular perfusion. DCS is completely noninvasive, has excellent temporal resolution, and has been validated in a variety of organs and tissues, against several different standards, including laser Doppler , Xenon- CT, fluorescent microsphere flow measurements, arterial spin labelled-MRI, and pulse-wave Doppler ultrasound. Combining DCS with conventional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)—an established technique for characterizing the transport and utilization of oxygen—introduces exciting new possibilities for understanding the determinants of cerebral and muscle oxygen utilization, at the microvascular level. The specific aim of this application is to acquire an ISS MetaOx Tissue Oxygen Consumption Monitor – currently the only commercially available DCS device on the market. This instrument is well suited for a multidisciplinary core facility due to its user-friendly integrated software, and robust analysis features. It address all of the limitations currently associated with our current NIRS/DCS systems, including quantitative measurement of hemoglobin concentration using Frequency-Domain Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Moreover, its cross-organ versatility extends its research application beyond cerebral oxygen metabolism—for which it was originally designed for— allowing UTA faculty to also assess the determinants of skeletal muscle oxygen metabolism and skeletal muscle blood flow regulation; an area of research that UTA faculty are actively involved in. The MetaOx will significantly enhance the research and educational infrastructure of UTA, and will stimulate collaborative research projects between a large group of extramurally funded faculty members, spanning multiple Colleges and many Departments across campus.