# Wearable modular high-density diffuse optical tomography

> **NIH NIH R41** · ESPERIMAGE LLC · 2022 · $432,674

## Abstract

Project Summary:
EsperImage, a startup company out of Washington University (WUSTL), will develop high fidelity, wearable,
optical technology that transcends limitations of both previous optical neuroimaging and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) tools to provide naturalistic brain imaging in adults and children. A neurodevelopmental disorder
affecting 1/54 children in the general population, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents highly heterogeneous
phenotypes; however, core features are impaired development of social-communicative skills plus repetitive
behaviors and restricted interests. Additionally, early difficulties with visuo-motor integration and motor imitation
may be strongly associated with impairments of social communication widely reported in individuals with ASD.
Because early interventions in toddlers with ASD have been proven to result in improved outcomes, innovative
methods for early detection of the alterations in brain function underlying ASD prior to manifestation of behavioral
symptoms are necessary to advance treatment strategies and improve prognoses. Current brain mapping
methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offer promising sensitivity yet pose significant
methodological challenges in studies of awake, interacting, and moving children due to the loud, constraining
environment and susceptibility to motion-induced artifacts.
Optical neuroimaging provides a potential surrogate for fMRI. However, image quality with traditional optical
technology, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), systems had been lacking in comparison to the gold
standard of fMRI. Development of high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT), a tomographic version of
fNIRS, has dramatically improved image quality, and maps sensory, motor, and cognitive networks with fidelity
comparable to fMRI throughout the outer 1 cm of the cortex. Despite these advances, application of HD-DOT to
naturalistic studies in children has been limited by large opto-electronic consoles and bulky fiber optics. Several
wearable fiber-less fNIRS instruments are becoming available commercially, but all have multiple deficits - either
lower resolution, stronger image distortions, smaller fields of view, or less signal to noise than proposed herein.
This Phase-I STTR project will develop a commercialization-ready WHD-DOT device that matches performance
of fiber-based HD-DOT for use in pediatric studies including on neurodevelopmental disorders. Long Term
Impact: The WHD-DOT imaging systems will enable neuroscience to better understand the mechanisms of
disease as well as monitor response to therapy in the developing brain. The goal of Aim 1 is to develop a robust
modular scalable WHD-DOT system. The goal of Aim 2 will be to validate the WHD system in healthy adults and
in children both typical developing and those with ASD. Validation will establish feasibility through mapping
distributed brain activity in untethered adults and children. This will...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10547630
- **Project number:** 1R41MH131449-01
- **Recipient organization:** ESPERIMAGE LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason Wayne Trobaugh
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $432,674
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-07 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10547630

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10547630, Wearable modular high-density diffuse optical tomography (1R41MH131449-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10547630. Licensed CC0.

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