Advances in Optoacoustic Neurotomography of Animal Models
Saak V Ovsepian1, Ivan Olefir2, Vasilis Ntziachristos2
1Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; School of Bioengineering, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany; Department of Experimental Neurobiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic; Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 116 36 Prague, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
Unlike traditional optical methods, optoacoustic imaging is less sensitive to scattering of ballistic photons, so it is capable of high-resolution interrogation at a greater depth. By integrating video-rate visualization with multiplexing and sensing a range of endogenous and exogenous chromophores, optoacoustic imaging has matured into a versatile noninvasive investigation modality with rapidly expanding use in biomedical research. We review the principal features of the technology and discuss recent advances it has enabled in structural, functional, and molecular neuroimaging in small-animal models. In extending the boundaries of noninvasive observation beyond the reach of customary photonic methods, the latest developments in optoacoustics have substantially advanced neuroimaging inquiry, with promising implications for basic and translational studies.
