High contrast brain myelin (normal cross-section/slice)structure imaging with 1700nm PS-OCT system

The OCT system requires an optimal wavelength for imaging, considering the scattering and absorption of light that vary depending on the wavelength. Depolarization, which is influenced by scattering, scrambles polarization information, leading to noisy polarization imaging. In this study, we developed a swept-source PS-OCT using a wavelength of 1700 nm, chosen for its lower scattering coefficient compared to the 1300 nm, to achieve high-contrast brain myeline imaging. To quantitatively evaluate the polarization image, we defined the phase noise ratio(PNR). In conclusion, using a 1700 nm enables the acquisition of polarzied images with less noise compared to 1300 nm for brain myelin imaging.