Laser/light applications in neurology and neurosurgery

Abstract

Applications of light in neurology and neurosurgery can be diagnostic or therapeutic. Neurophotonics is the science of photon interaction with neural tissue. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been attempted to destroy infiltrative tumor cells in tissue. Spatially modulated imaging (MI) is a newly described non-contact optical technique in the spatial domain. With this technique, both quantitative mapping of tissue optical properties within a single measurement and cross sectional optical tomography can be achieved rapidly. The ability to control the activity of a defined class of neurons has the potential to advance clinical neuromodulation.