Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Non-Invasive Brain Damage Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and other brain injuries are invasive, requiring postmortem neuropathologic examination, and lack non-invasive in vivo detection capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The use of near-infrared spectroscopy to detect cortical neuritic plaques, Lewy bodies, and neurofibrillary tangles by exposing the subject's head to near-infrared light and measuring absorbance, transmission, and reflectance, with calculated spectroscopic lineshapes and numerical values for diagnosis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If postmortem neuropathologic examination is used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but invasiveness increases and in vivo detection is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/invasive postmortem examination with optical spectroscopy that uses near-infrared light to detect brain tissue properties non-invasively in vivo, substituting physical disruption with electromagnetic radiation-based measurement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces near-infrared light as an intermediary medium that can penetrate brain tissue and interact with pathological features (amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles) to provide diagnostic information without direct contact or invasion of the tissue
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If conventional medical imaging techniques like MRI or PET are used, then in vivo detection capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a relatively simple and inexpensive near-infrared light source and detection system compared to complex MRI or PET equipment, using accessible optical components to achieve diagnostic functionality without requiring sophisticated imaging infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and utilizes the optical properties of brain tissue in the near-infrared window, isolating the diagnostic information contained in light absorption and scattering patterns without requiring the complex multi-modal imaging approaches of conventional techniques
3Measurement precision
If exogenous markers are used to detect brain pathology, then detection sensitivity is improved, but invasiveness and procedure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the brain tissue to serve itself diagnostically by utilizing its inherent optical properties in the near-infrared window, where pathological features like amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles naturally alter light absorption and scattering without requiring external marker introduction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent detects changes in optical parameters (absorption coefficient, scattering coefficient) of brain tissue that occur naturally due to pathological processes, utilizing these intrinsic parameter changes as diagnostic signatures without needing to introduce exogenous contrast agents
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables non-invasive in vivo detection of brain damage, differentiating between healthy and damaged brains, allowing for early diagnosis and monitoring of brain diseases like Alzheimer's, without the need for exogenous markers or invasive procedures.
Implementation Method 1
measuring absorbance, transmission and/or reflectance of this light
Implementation Method 2
the absorbance, transmission and/or reflectance of this light is measured after it propagates through the subject's head
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a non-invasive device and method of detecting or evaluating brain damage in a living subject.