# High Sensitivity Diffuse Optical Tomography of Human Brain Funciton

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $540,466

## Abstract

Project Summary:
This grant will develop speckle contrast optical tomography (SCOT) for imaging of cerebral blood flow
dynamics in humans. Real-time maps of cerebral blood flow (CBF) at the bedside are a long sought-after
assay for neuro-critical care. Most critically, regional CBF measures can indicate which brain regions
may be becoming ischemic and are at danger for hypoxic-ischemic injury. Current clinical methods for
imaging CBF include positron emission tomography (PET) and arterial spin labeling with Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (ASL- MRI). Both modalities provide only snapshots of CBF, though, thus they miss
dynamic events, which are important in many clinical scenarios including acute stroke, traumatic brain
injury, and preterm birth. Non-invasive optical techniques are an attractive approach for imaging brain
blood dynamics at the bedside. The most widely used non-invasive optical neuroimaging technique uses
near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure fluctuations in hemoglobin concentrations. Over the last
decade high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) systems have made significant advances in
resolution and brain specificity making it an increasingly viable surrogate for functional MRI. However,
fNIRS and HD-DOT do not measure flow directly. Separately, there have been considerable advances in
laser speckle methods for measuring CBF. The most established deep tissue speckle method, diffuse
correlation spectroscopy (DCS), has been developed for in vivo tomographic imaging in rat models of
focal ischemia and for monitoring brain perfusion in humans.
However, in humans DCS has been limited to few spatial measurements, which precludes tomographic
imaging, and by instrumentation that permits only very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements.
This proposal will address these limitations and develop speckle contrast optical tomography (SCOT), a
new method for transcranial optical imaging of relative CBF in humans. SCOT allows for the use of lower
speed detectors that could readily be implemented in parallel in modern scientific CMOS cameras. Aim 1
will develop SCOT instrumentation with high-density imaging arrays. Aim 2 will develop anatomically
derived head models for reconstructing SCOT images. Aim 3 will validate SCOT-based measures in
patients with carotid artery occlusions based on comparison to PET and ASL-MRI. Aim 4 will evaluate
the longitudinal feasibility of using SCOT for imaging acute stroke. These studies will represent the
culmination of several advances in functional neuroimaging made possible by the research teams’
unique combination of clinical and technical expertise across the domains of neurology, functional
neuroimaging and biomedical optics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10770390
- **Project number:** 5R01NS090874-13
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JOSEPH P CULVER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $540,466
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2009-08-01 → 2025-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10770390

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10770390, High Sensitivity Diffuse Optical Tomography of Human Brain Funciton (5R01NS090874-13). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10770390. Licensed CC0.

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