In functional brain imaging there is controversy over which hemodynamic signal best represents neural activity. Intrinsic signal optical imaging (ISOI) suggests that the best signal is the early darkening observed at wavelengths absorbed preferentially by deoxyhemoglobin (HbR). It is assumed that this darkening or "initial dip" reports local conversion of oxyhemoglobin (HbO) to HbR, i.e., oxygen consumption caused by local neural activity, thus giving the most specific measure of such activity. The blood volume signal, by contrast, is believed to be more delayed and less specific. Here, we used multiwavelength ISOI to simultaneously map oxygenation and blood volume [i.e., total hemoglobin (HbT)] in primary visual cortex (V1) of the alert macaque. We found that the hemodynamic ''point spread,'' i.e., impulse response to a minimal visual stimulus, was as rapid and retinotopically specific when imaged by using blood volume as when using the initial dip. Quantitative separation of the imaged signal into HbR, HbO, and HbT showed, moreover, that the initial dip was dominated by a fast local increase in HbT, with no increase in HbR. We found only a delayed HbR decrease that was broader in retinotopic spread than HbO or HbT. Further, we show that the multiphasic time course of typical ISOI signals and the strength of the initial dip may reflect the temporal interplay of monophasic HbO, HbR, and HbT signals. Characterizing the hemodynamic response is important for understanding neurovascular coupling and elucidating the physiological basis of imaging techniques such as fMRI.fMRI ͉ imaging ͉ macaque ͉ visual ͉ neurovascular coupling C erebral hemodynamics respond quickly and specifically to local neural activity (1, 2). Hemodynamic signals are thus used extensively as proxies for such activity in functional neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and intrinsic signal optical imaging (ISOI). There has been considerable debate, however, as to which of the possible hemodynamic signals, e.g., changes in local blood oxygenation, volume, or flow, with their distinct response properties, constitutes the ''best'' signal for inferring neural activity (1,(3)(4)(5).The debate regarding the best signal sharpened with reports of initial dips in both ISOI and fMRI signals. ISOI studies consistently found a brief stimulus-evoked darkening followed by a strong brightening at imaging wavelengths preferentially absorbed in deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) [e.g., at 605 nm (6)]. The darkening, later termed the initial dip*, was interpreted as a local conversion of oxyhemoglobin (HbO) to HbR caused by increased oxygen consumption by local neurons before any active vascular response (1, 7) The subsequent brightening was taken to measure the ''rebound'' in [HbO] † caused by a delayed, stimulus-triggered increase in cerebral blood flow (7).In parallel, some fMRI studies reported finding an initial dip before the rise in the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal (8). Because the BOLD signal measures changes in [HbR] alone ‡ , the fMRI initial dip was seen a...

Today's trainees will be highly exposed to radiation throughout their practice. It is thus compulsory that they undergo dedicated radiation education during their initial training, and regular refresher sessions later. In daily practice, focus on dose reduction and monitoring of patient and staff exposure are mandatory.

To help avoiding secondary effects of interventional procedures like skin damage, a dose map method has been developed to provide an indication of the local dose on a surface representative of individual patient shapes. To minimise user interactions, patient envelope shapes are automatically determined depending on simple patient data information. Local doses are calculated in 1-cm² areas depending on the estimated air kerma, table and gantry positions and system settings, taking into account the table and mattress attenuations and estimated backscatter from the patient. These local doses are cumulated for each location of the patient envelope during the clinical procedure. To assess the accuracy of the method, Gafchromic XR-RV3 films have been used in several operating configurations. Good visual agreements on cumulated dose localisation were obtained within the 1-cm² precision of the map and the dose values agreed within 24.9 % accuracy. The resulting dose map method has been integrated into GE Healthcare X-Ray angiographic systems and should help in the management of the dose by the users during the procedure.

Laminar optical tomography (LOT) is a new three-dimensional in vivo functional optical imaging technique. Adopting a microscopy-based setup and diffuse optical tomography (DOT) imaging principles, LOT can perform both absorption- and fluorescence-contrast imaging with higher resolution (100–200 μm) than DOT and deeper penetration (2–3 mm) than laser scanning microscopy. These features, as well as a large field of view and acquisition speeds up to 100 frames per second, make LOT suitable for depth-resolved imaging of stratified tissues such as retina, skin, endothelial tissues and the cortex of the brain. In this paper, we provide a detailed description of a new LOT system design capable of imaging both absorption and fluorescence contrast, and present characterization of its performance using phantom studies.