Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Paired Cisterna Magna Nanoinjection and Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging Assay to Study Cerebral Blood Flow Regulation In Vivo
Published on: July 8, 2025
Visualization of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Dynamics during Cortical Venous Occlusion using Laser Speckle Contrast
Yasuhiro Takeshima1, Hitoshi Miyake1, Ichiro Nakagawa1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Kashihara, Japan.
Background:
Cerebral venous ischemia (CVI) is a rare but potentially significant complication of neurosurgical procedures. However, it is still unclear how cerebral venous occlusion (VO) affects regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) dynamics. To elucidate its pathophysiology in detail, we examined the real-time perfusion dynamics during adjacent vein occlusions using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) in a rat 2-vein occlusion model.
Methods:
Two cortical veins were occluded photochemically using rose Bengal dye in 6 male Wistar rats; rCBF was measured in real time with an LSCI before and after VO. Regions of interest were defined between the 2 veins (A) and on the opposite side of the first occluded vein (B) on semi-quantitative pseudocolor images for off-line analysis. Histopathologic evaluation was performed 3 days after the procedure to assess the extent of infarction.
Results:
LSCI revealed a stepwise reduction in CBF, with a sudden decrease just after the first vein occlusion (~20%) and a further decrease after the second (~30%). Significant differences were observed between rCBF dynamics within regions of interest A and B (P = .0004). All rats exhibited infarcts in the superficial cerebral cortex histopathologically.
Conclusions:
This is the first report of LSCI specifically applied to the study of CVI. The extensive real-time measurement with high temporal and spatial resolution revealed the stepwise reduction in rCBF during sequential VO and the ensuing infarcts.
