By adding interferometry, we enable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to better monitor human brain health, and in particular, blood flow. We have also shown how a CMOS camera pixel can be transformed into a sensitive photon-counting channel for sensing fluctuations of light that was dynamically scattered deep inside tissue. This fundamental advance has led to the first scalable approach to monitor and image cerebral blood flow non-invasively in living humans outside of expensive medical scanners. We are excited to innovate further to improve the performance and reduce the cost of this approach. This will enable at-home monitoring and imaging of cerebral blood flow for early diagnosis and risk stratification for diseases with a cerebrovascular component such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, repeated concussion, and vascular dementia. Most excitingly, this technology could eventually enable a preventative approach to cerebrovascular disease, guided by continuous updates on brain health.

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