Performance assessment of time-domain optical brain imagers, part 2: nEUROPt protocol.

The nEUROPt protocol is one of two new protocols developed within the European project nEUROPt to characterize the performances of time-domain systems for optical imaging of the brain. It was applied in joint measurement campaigns to compare the various instruments and to assess the impact of technical improvements. This protocol addresses the characteristic of optical brain imaging to detect, localize, and quantify absorption changes in the brain.

Performance assessment of time-domain optical brain imagers, part 1: basic instrumental performance protocol.

Performance assessment of instruments devised for clinical applications is of key importance for validation and quality assurance. Two new protocols were developed and applied to facilitate the design and optimization of instruments for time-domain optical brain imaging within the European project nEUROPt. Here, we present the "Basic Instrumental Performance" protocol for direct measurement of relevant characteristics.

GLM analysis of time resolved NIRS data of motor activation during different motor tasks.

The hemodynamic response to motor activation was investigated by time-resolved NIRS in healthy subjects and patients with unilateral impairment in motor ability. Healthy subjects performed a simple and a complex finger movement task, patients a handgrip task. A General Linear Model approach (GLM) was applied during NIRS data processing.

A multichannel time-domain scanning fluorescence mammograph: performance assessment and first in vivo results.

We present a scanning time-domain fluorescence mammograph capable to image the distribution of a fluorescent contrast agent within a female breast, slightly compressed between two parallel glass plates, with high sensitivity. Fluorescence of the contrast agent is excited using a near infrared picosecond diode laser module. Four additional picosecond diode lasers with emission wavelengths between 660 and 1066 nm allow to measure the intrinsic optical properties of the breast tissue.

Optical bedside monitoring of cerebral perfusion: technological and methodological advances applied in a study on acute ischemic stroke.

We present results of a clinical study on bedside perfusion monitoring of the human brain by optical bolus tracking. We measure the kinetics of the contrast agent indocyanine green using time-domain near-IR spectroscopy (tdNIRS) in 10 patients suffering from acute unilateral ischemic stroke. In all patients, a delay of the bolus over the affected when compared to the unaffected hemisphere is found (mean: 1.