# Flexible, scalable, and generalizable photogrammetric head modeling for high-density diffuse optical tomography

> **NIH NIH R41** · ESPERIMAGE LLC · 2024 · $446,490

## Abstract

Project Summary:
EsperImage, a startup company out of Washington University (WUSTL), will develop efficient and flexible data
registration and modeling procedures to complement their high fidelity, wearable, optical technology that
transcends limitations of both previous optical neuroimaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
tools to provide naturalistic brain imaging in adults and children. A neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1/36
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 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,
including a lack of automatable data registration and modeling such as those proposed herein.
This Phase-I STTR project will develop commercialization-ready, robust, & efficient data registration and
modeling tools for WHD-DOT devices that match performance of fiber-based HD-DOT for use in pediatric studies
of neurodevelopmental disorders. Long Term Impact: The data registration and WHD systems together will
enable a better understanding of disease mechanisms as well as monitor response to therapy in the developing
brain. The Aim 1 goal is to develop flexible 2D-camera-based photogrammetric array-anatomy registration. The
Aim 2 goal will be to develop photogrammetric atlas-derived anatomical models. We will validate the registration
and modeling methods in healthy adu...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11008418
- **Project number:** 1R41MH138258-01
- **Recipient organization:** ESPERIMAGE LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason Wayne Trobaugh
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $446,490
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-05 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11008418

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11008418, Flexible, scalable, and generalizable photogrammetric head modeling for high-density diffuse optical tomography (1R41MH138258-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11008418. Licensed CC0.

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