Chinese researchers unveil a non-invasive system for long-term, high-resolution brain imaging in mice, enabling studies of stroke and neurological diseases.
BEIJING: Chinese researchers have developed a revolutionary imaging system enabling long-term, high-resolution observation of the mouse brain without invasive surgery or contrast agents.
This breakthrough, reported by the China Science Daily, addresses the critical need for non-invasive methods to study brain function and disease pathology over extended periods.
The system, named PACMes, was created by a team from the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen to overcome the challenges of light refraction and acoustic attenuation caused by the scalp and skull.
It achieves synergistic optimisation across near-infrared optical excitation, low-frequency acoustic detection, and computational reconstruction for efficient penetration.
This integrated approach reduces light scattering interference and ensures high-sensitivity, full-angle detection of photoacoustic signals throughout the entire field of view.
Notably, the system operates without exogenous contrast agents and can image a 13-millimetre-diameter area covering the entire mouse cerebral cortex with a spatial resolution of 33 micrometres.
It supports continuous monitoring for over five months, providing a powerful new tool for longitudinal studies of brain disorders.
In a mouse model of mild ischemic stroke, the PACMes system enabled dynamic observation for more than five months, capturing the full trajectory of vascular changes in the infarct region.
The system non-invasively revealed the key pathological feature of new collateral circulation formation in the infarct area 72 hours after modelling.
This crucial insight provides direct evidence into the mechanisms of post-stroke vascular repair and recovery.
The technology represents an ideal platform for monitoring the chronic progression of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.
Researchers believe it holds significant promise for advancing cerebrovascular disorder research and evaluating new therapeutic interventions.
The findings from this pioneering work have been published in the scientific journal Science Advances.
The Sun Malaysia
