Two-dimensional photon counting imaging and spatiotemporal characterization of ultraweak photon emission from a rat's brain in vivo

The process of metabolic reactions within living cells leads to spontaneous ultraweak light emission. The development of a system for highly sensitive imaging and spatiotemporal analysis of ultraweak photon emission from a rat's brain is reported in this paper. The equipment used in this experiment consists of a two-dimensional photon-counting tube with a photocathode measuring 40 mm in diameter, a highly efficient lens system, and an electronic device to record time series of a photoelectron train with spatial information. The sensitivity and ability to extract spatiotemporal information from sequential data of a single photoelectron train were examined. The minimum detectable radiant flux density of the system was experimentally estimated to be 9.9 x 10(-17) W/cm2 with a 1-s observation time. Spontaneous photon emission was demonstrated from an exposed rat's cortex in vivo without adding any chemical agent or employing external excitation. An image of ultraweak photon emission was compared with one obtained after cardiac arrest. The intensity after cardiac arrest was depressed to approximately 60% of before that. The regional properties of time courses of emission intensity were also demonstrated, indicating the potential usefulness for spatiotemporal characterization of photon emission with mapping of physiological information such as oxidative stress. This technology constitutes a novel method, with the potential to extract pathophysiological information from the central nervous system.