Rapid assessment of microcirculation in patients to realize closed-loop systems

Rapid assessment of microcirculation in tissue to realize closed-loop systems is provided. Microcirculatory assessment systems according to embodiments described herein allow a user to assess changes in local blood flow in microvasculature in real-time using conventional electrical techniques. Some embodiments provide a closed-loop system that allows calibrated doses of electrical stimulation to be delivered in a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system depending on blood flow changes (in specific regions of the brain) being fed back to a controller. The approach described here is readily translatable with very minimal changes to existing hardware. Such closed-loop systems will improve the accuracy of electrode placement in DBS surgery and potentially reduce surgery time, optimize the delivery of electrical stimulation, increase battery life of implantable DBS systems, reduce post-surgical visits to medical practitioners and improve the quality of life of patients.