A NOVEL METHOD FOR FAST IMAGING OF BRAIN-FUNCTION, NONINVASIVELY, WITH LIGHT

Imaging of the human body by any non-invasive technique has been an ap propriate goal of physics and medicine, and great success has been obt ained with both Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in brain imaging. Non-imaging responses to functiona l activation using near infrared spectroscopy of brain (fNIR) obtained in 1993 (Chance, et al. [1]) and in 1994 (Tamura, et al. [2]) are now complemented with images of pre-frontal and parietal stimulation in a dults and pre-term neonates in this communication (see also [3]). Prio r studies used continuous [4], pulsed [3] or modulated [5] light. The amplitude and phase cancellation of optical patterns as demonstrated f or single source detector pairs affords remarkable sensitivity of smal l object detection in model systems [6]. The methods have now been ela borated with multiple source detector combinations (nine sources, four detectors). Using simple back projection algorithms it is now possibl e to image sensorimotor and cognitive activation of adult and pre- and full-term neonate human brain function in times <30 sec and with two dimensional resolutions of <1 cm in two dimensional displays. The meth od can be used in evaluation of adult and neonatal cerebral dysfunctio n in a simple, portable and affordable method that does not require im mobilization, as contrasted to MRI and PET. (C) 1998 Optical Society o f America.