Modeling of light absorption in tissue during infrared neural stimulation

Alexander C. Thompson; Scott A. Wade; William G. Brown; Paul R. Stoddart

doi:10.1117/1.JBO.17.7.075002

6 July 2012 Modeling of light absorption in tissue during infrared neural stimulation

Alexander C. Thompson, Scott A. Wade, William G. Brown, Paul R. Stoddart

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Journal of Biomedical Optics, Vol. 17, Issue 7, 075002 (July 2012). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.17.7.075002

Abstract

A Monte Carlo model has been developed to simulate light transport and absorption in neural tissue during infrared neural stimulation (INS). A range of fiber core sizes and numerical apertures are compared illustrating the advantages of using simulations when designing a light delivery system. A range of wavelengths, commonly used for INS, are also compared for stimulation of nerves in the cochlea, in terms of both the energy absorbed and the change in temperature due to a laser pulse. Modeling suggests that a fiber with core diameter of 200 μm and NA = 0.22 is optimal for optical stimulation in the geometry used and that temperature rises in the spiral ganglion neurons are as low as 0.1°C. The results show a need for more careful experimentation to allow different proposed mechanisms of INS to be distinguished.

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Alexander C. Thompson, Scott A. Wade, William G. Brown, and Paul R. Stoddart "Modeling of light absorption in tissue during infrared neural stimulation," Journal of Biomedical Optics 17(7), 075002 (6 July 2012). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.17.7.075002

Published: 6 July 2012

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