Optical coherence tomography imaging of cranial meninges post brain injury in vivo

Abstract

We report a new application of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to investigate the cranial meninges in an animal model of brain injury in vivo. The injury is induced in a mouse due to skull thinning, in which the repeated and excessive drilling exerts mechanical stress on the mouse brain through the skull, resulting in acute and mild brain injury. Transcranial OCT imaging reveals an interesting virtual space between the cranial meningeal layers post skull thinning, which is gradually closed within hours. The finding suggests a promise of OCT as an effective tool to monitor the mechanical trauma in the small animal model of brain injury.