Preclinical validation of intraoperative optical imaging in pig somatosensory cortex mapping

Preserving functional brain tissue is critical in neurosurgery, especially when operating near eloquent areas such as the primary sensory cortex (PSC). Although traditional intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) provides useful guidance, it is limited by low spatial resolution and carries a risk of inducing seizures. Intraoperative optical imaging (IOI) emerges as a complementary alternative, providing high-resolution functional maps by detecting metabolic changes associated with neuronal activity. A porcine model was used to evaluate intraoperative optical imaging (IOI) for mapping the primary somatosensory cortex (PSC). Three imaging setups were tested, and adjustments to gain, exposure time, and gamma correction were made to optimize image quality during prolonged anesthesia. Functional activation maps were generated using spectral analysis and validated against anatomical landmarks. Intraoperative optical imaging (IOI) successfully mapped primary somatosensory cortex (PSC) activation in a porcine model with high spatial accuracy. Statistical comparisons between two imaging setups showed that Setup 2# showed higher sensitivity and specificity than Setup 1#, attributed to enhanced motion correction algorithms. Prolonged anesthesia reduced the intensity of cortical activation, but real-time adjustments maintained reliable signal detection. Intraoperative optical imaging (IOI) demonstrates high-spatial-resolution, wide-field adjunct for intraoperative functional mapping, with technical advantages in spatial resolution compared to conventional neurophysiological monitoring. Further optimization and clinical validation could expand its applications in brain mapping and functional preservation during surgery.