Laser speckle contrast imaging of blood flow in the deep brain using microendoscopy

Poor blood flow circulation can occur in the subcortical regions of the brain in many brain diseases. However, the limitations of light penetration imaging techniques hinder the detection of blood flow in deep brain tissues in vivo. Hence, in this Letter, we present a gradient index lens-based laser speckle contrast imaging system for time-lapse blood flow detection in subcortical regions of the brain. We monitored the hemodynamic changes in the thalamus of mouse models of acute hypoxia and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion as a proof of concept for practical applications.