Monte Carlo analysis of the enhanced transcranial penetration using distributed near-infrared emitter array

Transcranial near-infrared (NIR) treatment of neurological diseases has gained recent momentum. However, the low NIR dose available to the brain, which shows severe scattering and absorption of the photons by human tissues, largely limits its effectiveness in clinical use. Hereby, we propose to take advantage of the strong scattering effect of the cranial tissues by applying an evenly distributed multiunit emitter array on the scalp to enhance the cerebral photon density while maintaining each single emitter operating under the safe thermal limit. By employing the Monte Carlo method, we simulated the transcranial propagation of the array emitted light and demonstrated markedly enhanced intracranial photon flux as well as improved uniformity of the photon distribution. These enhancements are correlated with the source location, density, and wavelength of light. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first systematic analysis of the intracranial light field established by the scalp-applied multisource array and reveal a strategy for the optimization of the therapeutic effects of the NIR radiation. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)