Noninvasive diffuse optical monitoring of cerebral blood flow and oxygenation responses to intermittent hypoxia in neonatal rats

Significance: Intermittent hypoxia (IH) is common in preterm neonates and can cause hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Simultaneous monitoring of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygenation is essential to detect oxygen delivery-extraction mismatches and guide intervention. Aim: We aimed to adapt and test an innovative diffuse speckle contrast flow oximetry (DSCFO) system for continuous monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics during IH in neonatal rats, a model approximating human neonates. Approach: ). Results: , whereas hyperoxic episodes reversed these effects, reducing hypoxic stress. However, the pronounced cerebral hemodynamic fluctuations during IH may still contribute to brain injury. Conclusions: during IH in neonatal rats. The system captured hypoxia-induced cerebral deoxygenation and hyperoxia-driven recovery, revealing episode-dependent protective and disruptive mechanisms. Future work will correlate DSCFO findings with neurological and histological outcomes to guide IH interventions in large neonatal animal models and human infants.