Abstract: Systems and methods for use in measuring sympathetic nervous system activity or blood vessel autoregulation corrected for sympathetic activity. The choroid in the human eye is imaged and, using the resulting image, the vascular perfusion density (VPD) in the choroid is measured. VPD provides a measurement that is directly related to sympathetic nervous system activity. The effect of stimuli on sympathetic nervous system activity can be measured by comparing pre-stimuli VPD measurements with post-stimuli measurements. Quantifying VPD can be performed by determining pixel density within specific areas of the choroid image. Altered sympathetic nervous system activity can be detected in a subject by comparing that subject's VPD measurements to baseline VPD measurements from healthy individuals. Blood vessel autoregulation can be measured by imaging changes in other blood vessels in the eye and correcting with choroid VPD measurements of sympathetic activity.

Abstract: Systems and methods for use in measuring sympathetic nervous system activity or blood vessel autoregulation corrected for sympathetic activity. The choroid plexus in the human eye is imaged and, using the resulting image, the vascular perfusion density (VPD) in the choroid is measured. VPD provides a measurement that is directly related to sympathetic nervous system activity. The effect of stimuli on sympathetic nervous system activity can be measured by comparing pre-stimuli VPD measurements with post-stimuli measurements. Quantifying VPD can be performed by determining pixel density within specific areas of the choroid plexus image. Altered sympathetic nervous system activity can be detected in a subject by comparing that subject's VPD measurements to baseline VPD measurements from healthy individuals. Blood vessel autoregulation can be measured by imaging changes in other blood vessels in the eye and correcting with choroid VPD measurements of sympathetic activity.