Brain revealed through photoacoustic imaging
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029069
NPR : A new technique that combines “the speed and precision of light with the penetrating ability of sound” has been used to create high-speed, detailed three-dimensional images of a living mouse brain, writes Jon Hamilton for NPR. Developed by Lihong Wang of Washington University in St Louis, photoacoustic imaging uses a laser to send light pulses through the mouse’s skull and into its brain, where they bounce around and cause the molecules to vibrate. The vibrations emit distinctive sound waves, which can be used to monitor brain activity and study individual brain cells. The technique could one day be applied to other areas of the body to look for anomalies such as tumors in the breast, skin, and even individual blood cells.