Development and optical reflectance characterization of phantoms mimicking biological tissues for studies of light penetration in the brain

Abstract

[Excerto] The search for materials that accurately mimic the optical properties of biological tissues is essential, particularly for research in transcranial photobiomodulation, where it is necessary to comprehend how light propagates through the head tissues. Particularly, there is a lack of information in literature on the reflectance spectra of these materials, which is a property of relevance when determining how light interacts with tissues. Thus, the first objective of this study was to characterize the reflectance spectra of different porcine tissues, which show similar properties to those of human tissues, to serve as reference. The second objective was to understand and evaluate if it is possible to mimic the reflectance spectra of those tissues. Finally, the third objective was to determine the best materials and concentrations for future studies with multilayer phantoms, that accurately mimic the reflection of light in the head, up to the brain. [...]