16-03-2011, 04:01 PM
Potential brain imaging using near field radiometry
Abstract :
During the past decades there has been a tremendous increase throughout the scientific community for developing methods of understanding human brain functionality, as diagnosis and treatment of diseases and malfunctions could be effectively developed through understanding of how the brain works. In parallel, research effort is driven on minimizing drawbacks of existing imaging techniques including potential risks from radiation and invasive attributes of the imaging methodologies. Towards that direction, we are proposing a near filed radiometry imaging system for intracranial applications. The methodology is based on the fact that human tissues emit chaotic thermal type radiation at temperatures above the absolute zero. Using a phase shifted antenna array system, resolution, detection depth and sensitivity are increased. Several different setups are theoretically investigated and compared, so as to make the proposed system useful for clinical applications. Combining previous research as well as new findings, the possibility of using the proposed system as a complementary method for brain imaging is discussed in the present paper.
1 Introduction:
In the past decades functional imaging has been widely developed for mapping and measuring as-
pects of the brain function. Several techniques have been used, such as PET or fmRI. Using such
techniques, researchers have been able to contribute to brain function research and disease diag-
nosis.Due to their value, there’s a growing interest for improving these techniques, as well as to
investigate complementary methods that could contribute to brain imaging knowledge. Towards
this direction, the first research results on biomedical applications of microwave radiometry were
first introduced more than 30 years ago. Radiometry is the science that comprises the measure-
ment of the chaotic thermal electromagnetic radiation, emitted by any lossy media at temperatures
above the absolute zero. Using radiometry techniques, one can, therefore, obtain information about
internal temperature patterns and assist in clinical disease detection or monitoring for therapeutic
purposes. During the past years, several experiments, both in phantoms as well as in humans, have
been carried out. All of them verify the contribution of microwave radiometry in temperature dis-
tribution imaging [1–4], but also indicate that radiometric systems may be able to pick up brain
activation potentially due to conductivity changes [5].
