Estimating the absorption coefficient of the bottom layer in four-layered turbid mediums based on the time-domain depth sensitivity of near-infrared light reflectance.

Expanding our previously proposed "time segment analysis" for a two-layered turbid medium, this study attempted to selectively determine the absorption coefficient (μa) of the bottom layer in a four-layered human head model with time-domain near-infrared measurements. The difference curve in the temporal profiles of the light attenuation between an object and a reference medium, which are obtained from Monte Carlo simulations, is divided into segments along the time axis, and a slope for each segment is calculated to obtain the depth-dependent μa(μaseg). The reduced scattering coefficient (μs') of the reference is determined by curve fitting with the temporal point spread function derived from the analytical solution of the diffusion equation to the time-resolved reflectance of the object. The deviation of μaseg from the actual μa is expressed by a function of the ratio of μaseg in an earlier time segment to that in a later segment for mediums with different optical properties and thicknesses of the upper layers. Using this function, it is possible to determine the μa of the bottom layer in a four-layered epoxy resin-based phantom. These results suggest that the method reported here has potential for determining the μa of the cerebral tissue in humans.