Advanced optical phantom mimicking microvascular and directed blood flow in mouse brain

The accurate replication of cerebral hemodynamics is essential for advancing neuroimaging techniques and preclinical research. This study presents a novel multi-component dynamic optical phantom designed to model the complex blood flow dynamics of the mouse brain. The phantom incorporates a static base mimicking skull optical properties, a porous medium infused with a blood-mimicking solution to simulate microvascular perfusion, and a directed flow channel representing large vessels such as the sagittal sinus. The phantom structure was characterized using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) to assess its ability to replicate in vivo-like blood flow patterns. The results demonstrate strong quantitative agreement between the phantom and transcranial LSCI measurements of mouse brain hemodynamics. Our key findings highlight the influence of tissue-mimicking perfusion structures and optical attenuation properties on the blood flow index, validating the phantom as a reproducible and physiologically relevant model. This optically tunable and dynamically controllable platform provides a robust tool for calibrating neuroimaging technologies, validating new optical diagnostic techniques, and investigating cerebral blood flow regulation in preclinical studies.