In Vivo Optical Neuroimaging

used in a wide range of research applications including: general pathology studies, development of clinically relevant disease models, testing of novel optical probes, and pharmacokinetic evaluation of therapeutics, including those designed to cross the BBB[1,2]. Optical imaging has several technical advantages over other imaging modalities. It is easy to use, allows high animal throughput, has low infrastructure cost, and can make use of numerous, commercially available, target-specific probes including: antibody conjugate probes that recognize specific antigenic targets, and various small molecule and/or activatable probes that are designed to detect markers of specific physiological phenomenon (e.g. matrix metalloproteinase enzymes as markers of inflammatory sites). Absorption and scattering of light signals in tissue does limit in vivo optical imaging to a depth of 2cm or less. However, the speed and sensitivity of optical imaging make it an optimal research tool for the development of disease-specific molecular probes and for cell tracking. Research findings from preclinical optical imaging may ultimately be translatable to clinical modalities/applications. In this article, we highlight some studies of optical neuroimaging using the Bruker In-Vivo optical imaging platforms. In Vivo Optical Neuroimaging Nikita Agarwal1, Todd A. Sasser2, Jens Waldeck3, Andrew Van Praagh2