Whole-brain microcirculation detection after ischemic stroke based on swept-source optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Ischemic stroke is linked to cerebral blood flow, making real-time perfusion monitoring crucial for understanding disease mechanisms.
• A wide field of view (FOV) is beneficial for capturing lesions and observing disease progression in stroke research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To monitor whole-brain microcirculation in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat models over time using a wide FOV swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) system.
• To quantify and compare cerebral perfusion levels in both hemispheres and the whole brain during ischemic conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a wide FOV swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) system for whole-brain microcirculation monitoring in MCAO rats.
• Employed a constrained image registration algorithm to mitigate motion artifacts in wide FOV angiography.
• Quantified cerebral perfusion levels and recorded changes in blood vessel shape and location during ischemia.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated highly consistent trends in cerebral perfusion levels between the left and right hemispheres during MCAO.
• Observed temporal variations in the position of blood vessels throughout the experiment.
• Successfully quantified and compared perfusion across different brain regions.

Conclusions:

• Real-time, wide FOV SS-OCT monitoring provides valuable insights into whole-brain microcirculation dynamics during ischemic stroke.
• The findings support the utility of this technique for understanding stroke mechanisms and evaluating potential therapeutic interventions.