2024/03/21 by Fei Xia, Xia, Fei, Caio Vaz Rimoli +11
Medicine · #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det) #Medical Physics (physics.med-ph) #Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques #Optics (physics.optics)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2403.14809
openalex publication_date 2024/03/21 · openalex created_date 2024/03/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The intricate nature of the brain necessitates the application of advanced probing techniques to comprehensively study and understand its working mechanisms. Neurophotonics offers minimally invasive methods to probe the brain using optics at cellular and even molecular levels. However, multiple challenges persist, especially concerning imaging depth, field of view, speed, and biocompatibility. A major hindrance to solving these challenges in optics is the scattering nature of the brain. This perspective highlights the potential of complex media optics, a specialized area of study focused on light propagation in materials with intricate heterogeneous optical properties, in advancing and improving neuronal readouts for structural imaging and optical recordings of neuronal activity. Key strategies include wavefront shaping techniques and computational imaging and sensing techniques that exploit scattering properties for enhanced performance. We discuss the potential merger of the two fields as well as potential challenges and perspectives toward longer term in vivo applications.