PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
There is a need for improved monitoring tools for the brain in TBI patients. Survivors of severe brain injuries may
require care in an intensive care unit (ICU), where the brain is vulnerable to secondary brain injuries, defined by
a mismatch between the metabolic supply and demand that creates ischemia. Existing technologies for
monitoring secondary brain injuries are inadequate: continuous scalp EEG is noninvasive and detects seizures,
but only indirectly reflects cerebral blood flow compromise. In some cases, invasive probes are placed within the
brain to detect cerebral blood flow and brain tissue oxygenation directly. However, this strategy can be risky and
only monitors a small region of the brain. Thus, there is a need for real-time, noninvasive, multimodal
measurements of the brain’s electrical activity, oxygenation, and hemodynamics in humans. Our goal is to
address this need through combined measurements of EEG and functional optical spectroscopy (EEG-Optical)
instrumentation and analysis to provide a complementary fusion of data on brain activity and function. EEG
records the brain’s local electrical field potentials with exquisite temporal resolution. Optical imaging uses low-
intensity light to quantify cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral oxygen saturation (StO2). In Aim 1, we will adapt
our DCS current instrument for continuous for longitudinal monitoring of TBI patients alongside to clinical
instruments. In Aim2, we will perform a validation study to evaluate this new, integrated, noninvasive technology
by comparing directly with the gold standard, FDA-approved invasive measurement of brain blood flow and
oxygenation in patients with TBI undergoing clinically-standard invasive monitoring. This study will lead directly
to further device development and investigational device application, with a goal for a device that will allow for
brain blood flow and oxygenation monitoring in all patients with acute brain injuries in order to guide
management.
