Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Non-invasive Parenchymal, Vascular and Metabolic High-frequency Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Rat Deep Brain Imaging
12:00

Non-invasive Parenchymal, Vascular and Metabolic High-frequency Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Rat Deep Brain Imaging

Published on: March 2, 2015

12.3K

Assessment of Brain Functional Activity Using a Miniaturized Head-Mounted Scanning Photoacoustic Imaging System in

Yuhling Wang1, Tsung-Sheng Chu1,2, Yan-Ren Lin3,4

  • 1Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Nanomedicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan Township, Miaoli County 35053, Taiwan.

Biosensors
|November 25, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Updated Asian consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (2025).

Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association·2026
Same author

Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Post Hoc Analysis of the TOPAZ-1 Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA oncology·2026
Same author

Current status and challenges of artificial intelligence application in managing Children's emotions and attention.

Digital health·2026
Same author

Transcriptomic Profiling Identifies Higher DOT1L Expression as a Candidate Biomarker for a Positive Response to Gemcitabine in Cholangiocarcinoma.

Cancer genomics & proteomics·2026
Same author

Metabolic plasticity under chronic acidotic stress promotes biphasic adaptive resistance and defines a clinically relevant biomarker signature in multiple myeloma.

Haematologica·2026
Same author

A New CA19-9 Cutoff Value Identifies Lewis Antigen Status and Refines Prognostic Stratification in PDAC.

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research·2026

A new miniaturized head-mounted photoacoustic imaging system allows real-time brain imaging in freely moving rats. This technology reveals increased blood flow in awake rats, offering new insights into brain function and disease.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Studying brain function in awake, freely moving animals is crucial but limited by available imaging tools.
  • Existing methods often restrict natural behavior, hindering the understanding of brain-activity relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a miniaturized head-mounted scanning photoacoustic imaging (hmPAI) system.
  • To enable real-time cortical vascular imaging in awake, freely moving rats without impairing natural behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Designed a compact photoacoustic probe with optical fibers and a focused ultrasound transducer for dark-field imaging.
  • Incorporated miniature linear motors for 2D scanning, creating a lightweight (58.7g) head-mounted system.
  • Validated spatial resolution (0.225 mm at 9mm depth) and in vivo imaging of cortical vessels.
Keywords:
fiber-bundle-based illuminationfreely moving animalshemoglobin oxygen saturationin vivo imagingphotoacoustic (PA)

More Related Videos

Head Implants for the Neuroimaging of Awake, Head-Fixed Rats
07:01

Head Implants for the Neuroimaging of Awake, Head-Fixed Rats

Published on: September 7, 2022

2.6K
A High-performance Compact Photoacoustic Tomography System for In Vivo Small-animal Brain Imaging
05:32

A High-performance Compact Photoacoustic Tomography System for In Vivo Small-animal Brain Imaging

Published on: June 21, 2017

10.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Non-invasive Parenchymal, Vascular and Metabolic High-frequency Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Rat Deep Brain Imaging
12:00

Non-invasive Parenchymal, Vascular and Metabolic High-frequency Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Rat Deep Brain Imaging

Published on: March 2, 2015

12.3K
Head Implants for the Neuroimaging of Awake, Head-Fixed Rats
07:01

Head Implants for the Neuroimaging of Awake, Head-Fixed Rats

Published on: September 7, 2022

2.6K
A High-performance Compact Photoacoustic Tomography System for In Vivo Small-animal Brain Imaging
05:32

A High-performance Compact Photoacoustic Tomography System for In Vivo Small-animal Brain Imaging

Published on: June 21, 2017

10.6K

Main Results:

  • Successfully imaged cortical vessels draining into the superior sagittal sinus in both anesthetized and awake rats.
  • Observed significantly increased vessel diameter (FWHM) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) in awake rats compared to anesthetized rats.
  • Demonstrated that the hmPAI system did not impair the natural behavior of freely moving rats during imaging.

Conclusions:

  • The developed hmPAI system provides a novel tool for real-time, in vivo brain vascular imaging in unrestrained animals.
  • Increased blood flow in awake rats suggests higher metabolic demand, supporting the system's ability to capture functional changes.
  • This technology opens new avenues for research in behavior, cognition, and preclinical models of brain diseases.