Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is employed to examine the neuronal activity and vascular response of a peripheral nerve for research or clinical purposes. An embodiment for implementing this approach has: a nerve stimulator; a tissue spectrometer; a stimulation probe adapted to apply a stimulation from the nerve stimulator to a peripheral nerve; at least one illumination optical fiber, where each illumination optical fiber is adapted to transmit a near-infrared source light to the peripheral nerve after the stimulation is applied; and a detection optical fiber adapted to collect and deliver to the tissue spectrometer a returning light from the peripheral nerve after each source light is transmitted to the peripheral nerve. The returning light has a returning intensity, and the tissue spectrometer can determine the returning intensity to provide readings of optical diffuse reflectance of the peripheral nerve after the stimulation is applied.
申请公布号
WO2007109124(A3)
申请公布日期
2008.05.02
申请号
WO2007US06621
申请日期
2007.03.16
申请人
THE TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY;TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE;BERGETHON, PETER, R.;FANTINI, SERGIO