ABSTRACT
Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) for noninvasive imaging of small-animal brains provides a potentially powerful tool for laboratory research of central nervous systems performed on small-animal models. Based on the intrinsic optical contrast in brain tissues, PAT can image 3D morphological brain features, including both normal and diseased tissues such as brain cancer and traumatic brain lesions, through the intact skin and skull. Combining the merits of both light and ultrasound, PAT presents unique capability in localizing and quantifying hemodynamic changes, including blood oxygenation and blood volume, in subsurface brain tissues with both good sensitivity and high spatial resolution. The advantages of PAT in functional imaging of hemodynamic responses may contribute to the understanding of neuroactivities and brain disorders. PAT, when enabled with various newly designed imaging agents, is expected to play a significant role in studying diseases at the molecular or genetic level and evaluating new drugs and new therapies.
