Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors: Next big thing in blood flow measurement

In order to function properly, the brain requires a steady flow of blood through the cerebral arteries and veins, which deliver oxygen and nutrients and also remove metabolic byproducts. Therefore, cerebral blood flow is considered a vital and sensitive marker of cerebrovascular function. Optical methods offer a noninvasive approach for measuring cerebral blood flow. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS), a method gaining popularity, involves the illumination of tissues with near-infrared laser rays. The light is scattered by the movement of red blood cells and the resulting pattern formed is analyzed by a detector to determine blood flow.