title: Optical tomography of the neonatal brain.
abstract: A new method of assessing neurological function and pathology in the newborn infant is being developed based on the transmission of near-infrared light across the brain. Absorption by blood over a range of wavelengths reveals a strong dependency on oxygenation status, and measurements of transmitted light enable the spatial variation in the concentrations of the oxygenated and de-oxygenated forms of hemoglobin to be derived. Optical tomography has so far provided static three-dimensional maps of blood volume and oxygenation as well as dynamic images revealing the brain's response to sensory stimulation and global hemodynamic changes. The imaging modality is being developed as a safe and non-invasive tool that can be utilized at the cotside in intensive care. Optical tomography of the healthy infant brain is also providing a means of studying neurophysiological processes during early development and the potential consequences of prematurity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics & Bioengineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK. jem@medphys.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jeremy C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hebden
authors.forename: Topun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Austin
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000639:trends*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide