The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Project

Title:	Finite element modeling of temperature elevation due to NIR exposure in neural tissue
Author:	Yucel, Atabek Can
View Online:	njit-etd2013-032 (xii, 53 pages ~ 3.7 MB pdf)
Department:	Department of Biomedical Engineering
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Biomedical Engineering
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	Sahin, Mesut (Committee chair) Pfister, Bryan J. (Committee member) Roman, Max (Committee member) Al-Smadi, Yahia M. (Committee member)
Date:	2013-05
Keywords:	Near infrared (NIR) lasers Neural tissue heating Pulse frequency
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	Near infrared (NIR) lasers have been used in various types of medical applications. Heating is one of the most important concerns in the neural tissue when illuminated with NIR light. Rodent models are frequently used to study laser-tissue interactions. As a part of ongoing research project in the neural interface laboratory, direct measurements of temperature in the rat brain cortex as a response to a pulsed sequence of NIR laser beam are available. In this thesis, finite element modeling approach is used to model and simulate the temperature elevation in neural tissue under the effect of NIR laser pulsing. Steady state and transient analyses are conducted, and spatio-temporal temperature maps are generated. The effect of pulse frequency is investigated. The results are compared with experimental data and found to be in good agreement. The finite element modeling allows studying various variables on the heating effect of NIR in neural tissue that would otherwise be very difficult to investigate experimentally.