Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
Spring 5-31-2012
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering - (M.S.)
Department
Biomedical Engineering
First Advisor
Mesut Sahin
Second Advisor
Sergei Adamovich
Third Advisor
Bryan J. Pfister
Abstract
Near infrared (NIR) lasers find applications in medicine both for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Penetration depth into the tissue is a critical parameter to be considered in these NIR laser applications. Published data on the optical properties of rodent neural tissue are rare, despite the frequent use of rats as animal models. The aim of this study was to directly measure the light intensity profile inside the rat brain gray matter that is illuminated by an NIR laser beam. The local light intensities were sampled using an optical fiber inserted into the brain. The intensity profile in the axial direction to the laser beam had an initial fast decreasing phase followed by a less steeper slope by distance. In general, the light penetrated several times farther in the direction of the beam than its spread in the radial direction.
Recommended Citation
Parikh, Ujwal Anil, "Experimental evaluation of near infrared light penetration into neural tissue" (2012). Theses. 139.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/139
