Significance Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are currently the gold standard in the near-infrared and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (NIRS/DCS) communities for generating light transport paths through tissue. However, realistic and diverse models that capture complex tissue layers are not easily available to all; moreover, manually placing optodes on such models can be tedious and time consuming. Such limitations may hinder the adoption of representative models for basic simulations and the use of these models for large-scale simulations, e.g., for training machine learning algorithms. Aim We aim to provide the NIRS/DCS communities with an open-source, user-friendly database of morphologically and optically realistic head models, as well as a succinct software pipeline to prepare these models for mesh-based Monte Carlo simulations of light transport. Approach Sixteen anatomical models were created from segmented T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) head scans and converted to tetrahedral mesh volumes. Approximately 800 companion scalp surface locations were distributed on each model, comprising full head coverage. A pipeline was created to place custom source and optical detectors at each location, and guidance is provided on how to use these parameters to set up MC simulations. Results The models, head surface locations, and all associated code are freely available under the scatterBrains project on Github. Conclusions The NIRS/DCS community benefits from having shared resources for conducting MC simulations on realistic head geometries. We hope this will make MRI-based head models and virtual optode placement easily accessible to all. Contributions to the database are welcome and encouraged.

中文翻译：

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scatterBrains：一个开放的人体头部模型和同伴光极位置数据库，用于真实的蒙特卡罗光子模拟。

意义 蒙特卡罗 (MC) 模拟目前是近红外和漫相关光谱 (NIRS/DCS) 领域的黄金标准，用于生成穿过组织的光传输路径。然而，捕捉复杂组织层的真实且多样化的模型并非所有人都能轻松获得；此外，在此类模型上手动放置光极可能既乏味又耗时。这些限制可能会阻碍采用代表性模型进行基本模拟以及将这些模型用于大规模模拟，例如训练机器学习算法。目标 我们的目标是为 NIRS/DCS 社区提供一个开源、用户友好的形态学和光学逼真头部模型数据库，以及一个简洁的软件管道，为这些模型准备用于光传输的基于网格的蒙特卡罗模拟。方法 根据分段 T1 加权磁共振成像 (MRI) 头部扫描创建 16 个解剖模型，并将其转换为四面体网格体积。每个模型上分布了大约 800 个伴随头皮表面位置，包括整个头部覆盖。创建了一个管道来在每个位置放置自定义源和光学探测器，并提供有关如何使用这些参数来设置 MC 模拟的指南。结果模型、头部表面位置和所有相关代码均可在 Github 上的 scatterBrains 项目下免费获取。结论 NIRS/DCS 社区受益于对现实头部几何形状进行 MC 模拟的共享资源。我们希望这将使所有人都能轻松访问基于 MRI 的头部模型和虚拟光极放置。欢迎并鼓励对数据库做出贡献。