UC Riverside

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high resolution, minimally invasive imaging technique, which can produce depth-resolved cross-sectional images. OCT was used to detect changes in the optical properties of cortical tissue during the induction of global (pentylenetetrazol) and focal (4-aminopyridine) seizures. To utilize the spatiotemporal resolution provided by OCT, we developed an analytical method, creating fOCT volumes, to display statically significant changes in the cortical tissue’s attenuation coefficients while maintaining spatial specificity. We were able to visualize depth-resolved changes in attenuation during seizures as well as track focal seizure propagation with high spatiotemporal resolution. The results from this study demonstrate the potential utility of OCT as a minimally-invasive tool for studying seizure onset and propagation with high spatiotemporal resolution.