Common-Path Optical Coherence Tomography Guided Fibre Probe for Spatially Precise Optical Nerve Stimulation

Optical nerve stimulation is based on laser power delivery through a fibre-optic probe that provides the essential advantages of noncontact operation, high spatial selectivity and is free of interfascicular crosstalk artefact compared to traditional tissue-implanted electrical stimulation .A simple and effective common-path optical coherence tomography guided fibre probe for optical nerve stimulation has been developed and tested. The probe is capable of real-time monitoring of the fibre-to-nerve distance up to more than 1 mm at an axial resolution of approximately 3µm, thus improving the precision and safety of stimulation laser power delivery.