ABSTRACT
Tapered optical fibers (TFs) were recently employed for depth-resolved monitoring of functional fluorescence in sub-cortical brain structures, enabling light collection from groups of a few cells through small optical windows located on the taper edge [1]. Here we present a numerical model to estimate light collection properties of microstructured TFs implanted in scattering brain tissue. Ray tracing coupled with Henyey-Greenstein scattering model enables the estimation of both light collection and fluorescence excitation fields in three dimensions, whose combination is employed to retrieve the volume of tissue probed by the device.
Competing Interest Statement
L.S., B.L.S., M.D.V. and F. Pisanello are founders and hold private equity in Optogenix, a company that develops, produces and sells technologiesto deliver light into the brain. Tapered fibers commercially available from Optogenix were used as tools in the research.
