Evaluation of laser speckle contrast imaging as an intrinsic method to monitor blood brain barrier integrity

Suzie Dufour; Yaaseen Atchia; Raanan Gad; Dene Ringuette; Iliya Sigal; Ofer Levi

doi:10.1364/BOE.4.001856

Evaluation of laser speckle contrast imaging as an intrinsic method to monitor blood brain barrier integrity

Biomed Opt Express. 2013 Aug 30;4(10):1856-75. doi: 10.1364/BOE.4.001856. eCollection 2013.

Authors

Suzie Dufour¹, Yaaseen Atchia, Raanan Gad, Dene Ringuette, Iliya Sigal, Ofer Levi

Affiliation

¹ The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King's College Road, Toronto, ON M5S 3G4, Canada ; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada.

Abstract

The integrity of the blood brain barrier (BBB) can contribute to the development of many brain disorders. We evaluate laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) as an intrinsic modality for monitoring BBB disruptions through simultaneous fluorescence and LSCI with vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). We demonstrated that drug-induced BBB opening was associated with a relative change of the arterial and venous blood velocities. Cross-sectional flow velocity ratio (veins/arteries) decreased significantly in rats treated with BBB-opening drugs, ≤0.81 of initial values.

Keywords: (140.2020) Diode lasers; (170.0110) Imaging systems; (170.3880) Medical and biological imaging; (170.6480) Spectroscopy, speckle.