Latest Contribution from Prof. Mohamad Sawan's Research Group：Optical Transmission in Single-Layer Brain Tissue with Various Source Types.

Titled “Optical Transmission in Single-Layer Brain Tissues under Different Optical Source Types: Modelling and Simulation”, this contribution has been published in the Bioengineering. In this paper, we constructed simulation models for single-layer brain tissues to explore the optical propagation and diffusion under different types of incident light sources. Simulation models for single-layer brain tissues were built based on the Monte Carlo method, which considered the optical properties of six brain tissues including the scalp, skull, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), gray matter, white matter, and blood vessels. By applying quantitative analysis methods, the propagation depth and diffusion characteristics of different light source types in each tissue were evaluated to determine the optimal light source type for each tissue.

Congratulations to Xi Yang and to this paper’s co-authors for this innovative achievement.

Research Highlight

1. An optical simulation model for single-layer brain tissue was constructed based on the Monte Carlo optical simulation method.

2. The influence of 16 different types of light sources on light transmission in single-layer brain tissue was investigated.

3. A quantitative analysis was conducted to assess the optical propagation depth and diffusion width of different light source types in various brain tissues.

Fig.1. Optical simulation of single layer brain model for photoacoustic imaging.

Abstract

The human brain is a complex organ controlling daily activity. Present technique models have mostly focused on multi-layer brain tissues, which lack understanding of the propagation characteristics of various single brain tissues. To better understand the influence of different optical source types on individual brain tissues, we constructed single-layer brain models and simulated optical propagation using the Monte Carlo method. Based on the optical simulation results, sixteen optical source types had different optical energy distributions, and the distribution in cerebrospinal fluid had obvious characteristics. Five brain tissues (scalp, skull, cerebrospinal fluid, gray matter, and blood vessel) had the same set of the first three optical source types with maximum depth, while white matter had a different set of the first three optical source types with maximum depth. Each brain tissue had different optical source types with the maximum and minimum full width at half maximum. The study on single-layer brain tissues under different optical source types lays the foundation for constructing complex brain models with multiple tissue layers. It provides a theoretical reference for optimizing the selection of optical source devices for brain imaging.

Fig.2. Optical energy distribution of single-layer brain tissues under the illumination of a pencil beam.