New Era Scanning Technology - Optical Brain Scanner with Diffuse Optical Tomography (Dot) Technology

Innovations in scanning technology often couched in terms of their potential for real impact ; a better PET scanner or MRI machine is certainly nice, but it is limited by the risks of radiation exposure or cost of superconducting magnets platforms . Thus , physicians and researchers have longed for a way to collect some information cheaply and without adding additional risks to the patient . Optical scanners - such as plain old safe infrared light - have made ​​progress towards this goal for some time , but this week Nature published the findings suggest the technology could eventually be ready for the big time. 

Where older versions of the technology were limited to small sections of brain imaging , this new Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) technique can be seen two-thirds of the surface of the brain at once . This means that it can resolve images of multiple regional events such as language processing or introspection , it will make it useful for brain and high-level research . Most important for the doctors is that the optical imaging uses only medically safe near-infrared light and some very sensitive detectors . [Doi: 10.1038/nphoton.2014.107 - « Mapping distributed brain function and networks with diffuse optical tomography " ]

On the other hand , DOT scans detect oxygenation monitoring for changes in color and intensity of light of low intensity rays shone directly into your noggin . Senior study author Joseph Culver compared the process to see embarrassment in a rush of blood to the cheeks - though in this case , the " cheeks " are the lobes of the brain inside the skull , and your " embarrassment " could be anything from complete lust in complex logical thinking.

Penetrating the head with light may sound risky, but the machine use non-ionizing radiation DOT is theoretically capable of causing damage - which is more than you can say for scanning PET. Scans PET involves injecting a patient with radioactive isotopes that can monitor traffic through the body ; is a calculated risk , and often avoided because the potential harm outweighs the possible help.

The existing scanning technologies have very high fidelity , but practical problems undercut their use in the real world .

The existing scanning technologies have very high fidelity , but practical problems undercut their use in the real world . DOT technology could change this decision tree , however. Although it is bulky and today , the platform is specifically meant for portability , price and ease of use . It is supposed to be installed by the bedside of the patient  scans automatically conveyed to a central server cluster patient monitoring . At least , having a scan available DOT could dramatically change the types of cost- benefit analysis that focused medicine for long period. The DOT technology take off, physicians should become concerned that kill their patients as part of the diagnostic process , and the ability to see inside the brain will not be locked behind the pay-wall of supercooled , super - expensive magnets .

On the other hand , DOT imaging continues to lag behind the older technicians in many ways . Especially , now can see only about one centimeter in the brain - it allows you to cover most of the important higher brain functions , but leaves the most ancient internal structures unnoticed . Moreover , the resolutions in space and time have not yet reached parity , which means that at present DOT scans will be more useful for monitoring brain activity on a larger scale . Also , currently have no idea how much cheaper could actually end up being , but given the relatively simple technology used in a DOT scanner there is certainly potential for huge price reduction.

If researchers can prove that there is a viable market for biomedical their invention , however , expect these performance numbers to spike dramatically. Currently what is proposed for use in children or people with implants - people who can not get conventional scans as easily as most of us . Still, with all the potential advantages of cost and security , long-term goals of the team should be much higher.