Functional Ultrasound Speckle Decorrelation-Based Velocimetry of the Brain

A high-speed, contrast-free, quantitative ultrasound velocimetry (vUS) for blood flow velocity imaging throughout the rodent brain is developed based on the normalized first-order temporal autocorrelation function of the ultrasound field signal. vUS is able to quantify blood flow velocity in both transverse and axial directions, and is validated with numerical simulation, phantom experiments, and in vivo measurements. The functional imaging ability of vUS is demonstrated by monitoring the blood flow velocity changes during whisker stimulation in awake mice. Compared to existing Power-Doppler- and Color-Doppler-based functional ultrasound imaging techniques, vUS shows quantitative accuracy in estimating both axial and transverse flow speeds and resistance to acoustic attenuation and high-frequency noise.