The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for executive function, cognitive control and adaptive behavior, but its fast hemodynamic changes are still challenging to monitor with methods that are fast, portable and cost-effective. In this seminar, Klaudia Nowacka-Pieszak (ICTER) will present an optical approach based on interferometric speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (iSCOS) combined with parallel near-infrared interferometry (πNIRS).
Interferometric enhancement boosts sensitivity to microvascular scattering, while tunable-laser illumination provides depth-resolved, time-of-flight information, enabling selective probing of cortical layers. Together, these advances open a new optical window into the “thinking brain” with potential applications in cognitive neuroscience, mental-health research and future wearable neurotechnology.
About the speaker
Klaudia Nowacka-Pieszak is a PhD candidate at the International Centre for Translational Eye Research (ICTER). She received her MEng in Optical Engineering and Photonics from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in 2021.
Her doctoral research focuses on the development of noninvasive optical modalities for monitoring cerebral blood flow, with a particular emphasis on interferometric speckle-contrast optical spectroscopy. She studies hemodynamics in the prefrontal cortex, aiming to link subtle changes in microvascular perfusion with alterations in executive functioning.
