Non-invasive imaging of biological tissue

An optical system for in vivo, non-invasive functional neuroimaging of tissue comprising:

• a stimulator constructed to stimulate a selected functional activity of neural tissue of interest;
• an optical module including an array of input ports and detection ports located in a selected geometrical pattern to provide a multiplicity of arrayed single source, single detector pairs engaged directly with the subject;
• a spectrophotometer including
• light source means constructed to introduce electromagnetic radiation of visible or infra-red wavelength into the examined neural tissue successively at the input ports, the wavelength being sensitive to a tissue constituent associated with a physiological response of the imaged functional activity;
• detector means constructed to detect, at said detection ports, radiation of the selected wavelength that has migrated in the stimulated neural tissue from respective input ports;
• and
• a processor receiving signals of said detected radiation from said detector means, and constructed and arranged to create a defined spatial image of the functional activity of neural tissue by effectively producing from the signals from the multiplicity of arrayed single source, single detector pairs, a first data set representing, from a selected view, a spatial image of the neural tissue at rest, a second data set representing, from the same selected view, a spatial image of the neural tissue during stimulation, and a functional image data set that is related to the differences between said first and second data sets, over said sets.

An instrument for functional imaging of brain activity of a subject comprising an imager constructed and arranged to image hemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin or blood volume, said imager comprising

• an array of sources of near infrared or visible photons,
• an array of detectors positioned to receive photons from the sources following migration of photons from the sources through the tissue,
• a system enabling numerous readings of migrated photons to be taken systematically for different source-detector positions relative to the tissue, and
• a processor employing data sets taken during rest and during stimulation, with an imaging algorithm that is based on respectively different probabilities for a given source-detector position, for photons from the source passing through different regions of the volume of the scattering tissue that are located at different positions distributed laterally from a straight reference line between source and detector.

An optical system for in vivo, non-invasive imaging of biological tissue comprising:

• a stimulator constructed and arranged to stimulate cognition in a subject;
• a spectrophotometer co-operatively arranged with said stimulator;
• an optical module constructed to provide a multiplicity of arrayed source-detector pairs constructed for direct engagement with the subject;
• a light source constructed to introduce electromagnetic radiation of a visible or infra-red wavelength into biological tissue;
• a light detector constructed to detect optical radiation that has migrated in the tissue;
• and
• a processor coupled to receive signals of said detected radiation from said light detector, and constructed and arranged to create a defined spatial image of the tissue by effectively producing image data corresponding to differences between two data sets of the tissue being stimulated and the tissue not being stimulated by said stimulator.

An instrument for functional imaging of brain activity of a subject, comprising

• a stimulator constructed and arranged to stimulate a cognitive activity;
• and
• an imager constructed and arranged to image optical data related to hemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin or blood volume, said imager comprising
• an array of sources for emitting a near infrared or visible wavelength into brain tissue,
• an array of detectors positioned to receive photons of said wavelength that have migrated from the sources inside the tissue,
• a system enabling numerous readings of migrated photons to be taken systematically for different source-detector positions relative to the tissue, and
• a processor employing data sets taken to create a defined spatial image of the tissue using multiplicity of arrayed source-detector pairs providing optical signal of the tissue being stimulated and the tissue not being stimulated by said stimulator.

A method of in vivo, non-invasive imaging of tissue change related to cognition, comprising:

• providing a stimulator constructed and arranged to stimulate a cognitive activity of a subject;
• providing an array of input locations and detection locations arranged over a selected geometrical pattern to provide a multiplicity of photon migration paths in brain tissue,
• introducing electromagnetic radiation of a visible or infra-red wavelength into the brain tissue selectively at said input locations, said wavelength being sensitive to a constituent of the tissue;
• detecting, at said detection locations, radiation of said selected wavelength that has migrated in the tissue from at least one input location;
• stimulating a cognitive activity of the subject;
• repeating said introduction and detection while stimulating said cognitive process;
• and
• creating a defined spatial image of the tissue based on signals from said multiplicity of said photon migration paths detected for brain tissue being stimulated and brain tissue not being stimulated.