Establishment of new intraoperative imaging using flavoprotein autofluorescence

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K16579
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56010:Neurosurgery-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Mitsuhashi Daiku 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 非常勤講師 (60807296)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: フラビン蛋白 / 術中イメージング / 神経活動イメージング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To develop an innovative brain mapping and neuromonitoring method during neurosurgery, the authors set
out to establish intraoperative flavoprotein fluorescence imaging (iFFI) to directly visualize cortical activations in human brain. The significance of iFFI was analyzed by comparison with intraoperative perfusion-dependent imaging (iPDI),which is considered the conventional optical imaging. Signals acquired by iFFI exhibited biphasic spatiotemporal changes consisting of an early positive signal peak (F1) and a delayed negative signal peak (F2). In contrast, iPDI signals exhibited only 1 negative peak (P1) that was significantly delayed compared to F1. This is the first report in humans of successful intraoperative visualization of cortical activations using iFFI, which showed rapid evoked cortical activity prior to perfusion-dependent signal changes.

Free Research Field

神経活動イメージング

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

術中に神経活動を可視化する事ができれば手術の安全性や治療正確性の飛躍的な向上につながるため、正確な術中イメージングは有用な手術支援技術となり得る可能性を秘めている。これまでの手法は神経活動自体ではなく、付随して生じる血流変化を捉えて可視化するものであり、神経活動を過大評価するなどの問題点があり実用的な手術支援技術として確立するまでには至っていない。今回我々は既存の手法と全く異なるフラビン蛋白自家蛍光反応を用いることで、より神経活動自体に近い反応を可視化できることを証明した。