Imaging of developing human brains with ex vivo PSOCT and dMRI

Hui Wang ^1,2, Nathan Blanke ^1,2, Dayang Gong ^1,2

⁰Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States.

Imaging Neuroscience (cambridge, Mass.) +

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August 13, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) reveals early brain development with micrometer resolution. This optical imaging technique offers detailed insights into white matter myelination and fiber orientation in infants and young children.

Area Of Science

Neuroscience
Biomedical Engineering
Developmental Biology

Background

The first five years of life are critical for human brain development, particularly white matter myelination.
Diffusion MRI (dMRI) has advanced understanding of white matter development but lacks the resolution for microstructural details.
Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) offers micrometer resolution for imaging myelinated fiber tracts.

Purpose Of The Study

To establish the feasibility of using PSOCT for imaging the developing human brain in the first five years of life.
To compare PSOCT findings with ex vivo dMRI data in early brain development.
To explore PSOCT's potential for studying neurodevelopmental disorders.

Main Methods

Utilized 3D PSOCT, an optical imaging technique using polarized light interferometry.
Applied PSOCT to image white matter structures in human brains from birth to 5 years.
Compared PSOCT results with ex vivo dMRI data.

Main Results

PSOCT quantitatively demonstrated the myelination process in young children.
The optic axis orientation provided sensitive measurements of fiber orientation in infants as young as 3 months.
PSOCT's micrometer resolution revealed complex fiber networks, complementing submillimeter dMRI.

Conclusions

PSOCT is feasible for studying early brain development, offering quantitative insights into myelination and fiber orientation.
PSOCT provides unprecedented detail of white matter microstructure in developing brains.
This optical tool has significant potential for advancing research in normal neurodevelopment and developmental disorders.

Keywords:

Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PSOCT) diffusion MRI myelination neurodevelopment neuroimaging white matter anatomy