SPIE journal Neurophotonics has published the first of two extensive status reports on tools for brain science.
If you’re unfamiliar with “neurophotonics,” you’re in luck! Neurophotonics is a field that explores scientific advances in optical technology that can be applied to study the brain in health and disease. As the field has rapidly advanced, with support from the NIH BRAIN Initiative and related large-scale efforts, a review of the current state of the field is needed. To meet this need, SPIE, The International Society for Optics and Photonics journal, Neurophotonics, just published an extensive status report on the state of brain science tools in the field. This report, Neurophotonics tools for microscopic measurements and manipulation, focuses on the advancement of tools, mostly applicable to animal studies ranging from novel nanoscale molecular probes to 3D reconstruction of whole brain areas.
As the BRAIN Initiative 2.0(pdf, 851 KB) sets its sights on the application of novel tools to unlock the mysteries of the brain and nervous system, this report serves as an excellent and timely summary of the diverse neurophotonics toolkit, highlighting the progress as well as the challenges that lie ahead for the field of neuroscience. So, as you dive into this extensive report on all things neurophotonics, you can also check out a recent summary press release from SPIE on the impact and scale of this report.
Given the broad nature of the neurophotonics field, this report does not capture the full breadth of advancements and innovations in the field, which continues to rapidly advance. Neurophotonics plans to publish a follow up report, which will focus on optical imaging tools applicable to noninvasive human studies.
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