NSF Award
1641133
PI: Fisher, Jonathan<br/>Proposal Number: 1641133<br/><br/>Existing monitoring methods have technological limitations, such as the inability to detect flow changes in small blood vessels, as well as practical ones, such as portability and safety issues involved in bedside monitoring. Cost is an additional limitation for current clinical diagnostics; small hospitals often do not have such capabilities. Transcranial optical techniques such as diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) can provide rapid, real-time monitoring of brain activity for a fraction of the cost of other methods. The PI will evaluate diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) as a noninvasive optical methods for monitoring real-time changes in cerebral blood flow. The proposed research will partner researchers, faculty and postdocs at the New York Medical College, the University of Colorado, the University of Pennsylvania, and the FDA. The proposal includes a well-designed mentoring plan to be implemented by the PI. The plan includes tracking progress through Individual Development Plans; informal discussions to assess satisfaction with the mentoring program' and tracking progress toward career goals.<br/><br/>This project will provide information on the types of changes that can be interrogated using the low-resolution diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) technique. Direct comparison to a high resolution technique will provide necessary information on sensitivity and specificity for DCS. The use of stimulated changes during monitoring will provide the types of necessary detail on the populations of blood vessels that can be assessed. Cerebral blood flow can be used to inform medical interventions in cases of neurological injury or disease.
