Though near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used to noninvasively measure human physiology for over 40 years, most NIRS devices ignore spatial and temporal variations in tissue optical scattering. Alternatively, temporally and spatially-resolved NIRS, in either the real or frequency domains, allows for direct measurements of tissue optical scattering and thus the ability to make direct measurements of tissue composition and oxygen metabolism. In this tutorial presentation, I will give an overview of the technology and applications of quantitative deep tissue optical spectroscopy, with a focus on how new photonics technologies are improving the performance and accessibility of these techniques.
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