A Low-Cost Implantable Near-Infrared Imaging System of Spinal Cord Activity in the Cat

A low-cost device using diffuse optical imaging (DOI) for measuring in vivo hemodynamic changes in the spinal cord has been developed. The proposed system is aimed at monitoring for the first time real-time hemodynamic changes associated with intraspinal rhythmic motor activity monitored by electroneurogram (ENG) evoked in paralyzed cats (fictive locomotion). The device contains the emitting and collecting probes within a saddle that fits over a vertebra and has been developed with discrete component circuits. Experiments performed in two acutely decerebrate and paralyzed cats confirm a noticeable and reproducible hemodynamic response during episodes of fictive locomotion. The device is designed so that it could be implanted chronically. In the future, a multi-implant imaging platform could measure long-term hemodynamic changes in the spinal cord.