Cephalogics’ Compact Brain Imaging System Demonstrates Ability To Non-Invasively Measure Small Perfusion Changes Caused By Visual Stimulation
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cephalogics, an Allied Minds company (LSE:ALM), today announced study results showing that its High-Density Diffuse Optical Tomography (HD-DOT) system is capable of measuring and monitoring very small, focal changes in cortical perfusion resulting from visual stimulation in healthy volunteers. This non-invasive, portable brain perfusion imaging system is being designed to provide continuous bedside monitoring of regional brain oxygenation in patients suffering from stroke or traumatic brain injury. Given these results and the wearable design of this compact device, Cephalogics is also exploring non-clinical applications like virtual reality and gaming.
“The spatially detailed retinotopic maps we have presented demonstrate that this compact system is capable of replicating work that previously required large electronic systems and heavy fiber optic cables”
Retinotopic mapping of visual cortex activation has been widely used and accepted in early evaluations of PET and fMRI due to its ability to generate small focal changes in perfusion. Using a typical retinotopic stimulation experiment, the Cephalogics HD-DOT system demonstrated the ability to image retinotopic visual stimuli consistent with earlier studies using standard Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and functional MRI (fMRI). This is the first report of imaging retinotopic stimuli in the visual cortex using a fiber-optic-free DOT system with a highly compact form factor. These results replicate the previous work of Joseph P. Culver, PhD at Washington University in St. Louis, who is a pioneer of HD-DOT.
“The spatially detailed retinotopic maps we have presented demonstrate that this compact system is capable of replicating work that previously required large electronic systems and heavy fiber optic cables,” said Chandran Seshagiri, PhD, Lead Research Scientist at Cephalogics. “The compact and portable nature of our device brings DOT into a form factor that can be used at the bedside while maintaining high performance.”
The changes in cortical perfusion measured by the Cephalogics HD-DOT system in this study are significantly smaller than the typical perfusion changes associated with brain injury patients. Similarly, the area of cortical tissue that changes in response to the visual stimuli used in this study is much smaller than the spatial extent of the perfusion deficits typically expected with brain injuries. The ability to measure perfusion changes in cortical tissue of such small magnitude and in such focal areas demonstrates that the Cephologics system should have the ability to reach the necessary sensitivity and spatial resolution for imaging cerebral perfusion. Giving clinicians easy access to continuous imaging and perfusion measures at the bedside can help them identify and treat perfusion deficits in order to avoid ischemia and its associated adverse outcomes.
“These results provide further validation of our compact portable brain imaging system,” said Jeff Caputo, General Manager of Cephalogics. “We are demonstrating high performance across a variety of environments from the lab to the hospital.”
The results are being presented on June 29th at the Human Brain Mapping conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
For more information about Cephalogics, visit www.cephalogics.com.
About Cephalogics
Cephalogics is developing a non-invasive, portable brain perfusion imaging system that is designed to provide clinicians with critical information for detecting and treating perfusion deficits and avoiding ischemia in brain-injured patients. The system is designed to “see” the brain through hair, skin and skull, mapping oxygen saturation in the brain and help to facilitate early interventions, improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Cephalogics’ system utilizes Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) to provide bedside imaging of multiple cerebrovascular regions within a patient’s brain. The system’s sensors consist of compact, high-density arrays with numerous near infrared (NIR) laser light sources and detectors to provide hundreds of simultaneous spatially resolved measurements per region. These measurements are processed in real time to produce regional maps of the oxygen saturation in cerebral tissue. Each sensor array covers a cerebrovascular area of approximately 40cm2.Cephalogics is developing and commercializing an imaging system based on technology invented by Dr. Joseph P. Culver, a Professor at Washington University and a leading researcher in the field of Diffuse Optical Tomography. More information about the company can be found at www.cephalogics.com.