Brain imaging with visible light polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography

There is a pressing need for the development of neuroimaging technologies that improve our understanding of the brain. Here, we present a new polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography that effectively distinguishes between white matter and gray matter by leveraging the birefringence property of axon fibers. The imaging system operates in the visible spectrum, improving the spatial resolution, benefiting from high birefringence, and yielding fast accumulation of phase retardance. The ability to simultaneously provide multiple contrasts makes it a powerful tool for label-free brain imaging. Furthermore, serial scanning aided by a tissue slicer enables high-resolution connectome studies in whole brains.