A team of researchers has developed a noninvasive, laser-based headset that assesses stroke risk by monitoring brain blood flow and volume changes during a breath-holding test.
The device uses speckle contrast optical spectroscopy, or SCOS, to measure blood vessel responsiveness and stiffness. In a study of 50 participants, it successfully distinguished between low—and high-stroke-risk individuals.
The research showed that high-risk individuals exhibited distinct blood flow and volume changes compared to low-risk individuals, suggesting the potential for early stroke risk detection. Future plans include integrating machine learning for stroke location identification.