Open Access
12 April 2024 Neurophotonics beyond the surface: unmasking the brain’s complexity exploiting optical scattering
Fei Xia, Caio Vaz Rimoli, Walther Akemann, Cathie Ventalon, Laurent Bourdieu, Sylvain Gigan, Hilton B. de Aguiar
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

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.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Fei Xia, Caio Vaz Rimoli, Walther Akemann, Cathie Ventalon, Laurent Bourdieu, Sylvain Gigan, and Hilton B. de Aguiar "Neurophotonics beyond the surface: unmasking the brain’s complexity exploiting optical scattering," Neurophotonics 11(S1), S11510 (12 April 2024). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.NPh.11.S1.S11510
Received: 8 November 2023; Accepted: 14 March 2024; Published: 12 April 2024
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KEYWORDS
Brain

Neurophotonics

Wavefronts

Light scattering

Biological imaging

Neuroimaging

Geometrical optics

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