Journal Article

Multiparametric Brain Hemodynamics Imaging Using a Combined Ultrafast Ultrasound and Photoacoustic System

Mirg, Shubham, Tu, Wenyu, Agrawal, Sumit, Xu, Tianbao, Liu, Jinyun, Kothapalli, Sri‐Rajasekhar, Drew, Patrick J., Gaddale, Prameth, Liu, Xiao, Gluckman, Bruce J., Chen, Haoyang, Li, Menghan, Zhang, Nanyin, Nguyen, Van, Li, Qiong

2024

Overview

Studying brain‐wide hemodynamic responses to different stimuli at high spatiotemporal resolutions can help gain new insights into the mechanisms of neuro‐ diseases and ‐disorders. Nonetheless, this task is challenging, primarily due to the complexity of neurovascular coupling, which encompasses interdependent hemodynamic parameters including cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and cerebral oxygen saturation (SO2). The current brain imaging technologies exhibit inherent limitations in resolution, sensitivity, and imaging depth, restricting their capacity to comprehensively capture the intricacies of cerebral functions. To address this, a multimodal functional ultrasound and photoacoustic (fUSPA) imaging platform is reported, which integrates ultrafast ultrasound and multispectral photoacoustic imaging methods in a compact head‐mountable device, to quantitatively map individual dynamics of CBV, CBF, and SO2 as well as contrast agent enhanced brain imaging at high spatiotemporal resolutions. Following systematic characterization, the fUSPA system is applied to study brain‐wide cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) at single‐vessel resolution via relative changes in CBV, CBF, and SO2 in response to hypercapnia stimulation. These results show that cortical veins and arteries exhibit differences in CVR in the stimulated state and consistent anti‐correlation in CBV oscillations during the resting state, demonstrating the multiparametric fUSPA system's unique capabilities in investigating complex mechanisms of brain functions. In this work, a multimodal functional ultrasound and photoacoustic (fUSPA) imaging system capable of comprehensively mapping brain‐wide hemodynamics (microvascular blood volume, blood flow, oxygen saturation, and vasoreactivity) in response to various stimuli with high spatiotemporal resolutions is presented. The head‐mountable fUSPA device has the potential to gain new insights into the mechanisms of several neurological disorders, including studies on behaving and freely moving animals.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,John Wiley and Sons Inc,Wiley
• Subject: Animals / Blood / Brain - blood supply / Brain - diagnostic imaging / Brain - physiology / Brain hemodynamics / Brain research / Cerebrovascular Circulation - physiology / Cerebrovascular reactivity / Contrast agents / Functional ultrasound / Hemodynamics / Hemodynamics - physiology / Hemoglobin / Lasers / Light / Localization / Male / Mapping / Medical imaging / Microscopy / Multimodal imaging / Neuroimaging / Neurological disorders / Photoacoustic imaging / Photoacoustic Techniques - instrumentation / Photoacoustic Techniques - methods / Ultrasonic imaging / Ultrasonography - methods