Brain Mapping

In recent years, brain imaging has generally contributed to our understanding of brain involvement in a wide variety of functions and tasks. Computerized tomography (CT), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) are the most prominent of the technologies used for such studies. However, these modalities typically suffer from relatively low temporal resolution (CT, fMRI, PET) or spatial resolution (EEG, MEG).  Computed tomography and positron emission tomography have the added drawback of deploying ionizing radiation.

Near-infrared spectroscopy has the potential to transcend these limitations, combining excellent temporal resolution (~1ms) with reasonable spatial resolution (~1cm). Furthermore, NIRS instruments use safe, non-ionizing radiation and can be made relatively insensitive to head or body motion -- an issue with all of the technologies noted above.

The technique has already helped to advance basic science brain mapping studies, identifying areas of the brain associated with a range of motor and visual tasks, for example. It might also contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of depression, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, however. Indeed, researchers are already using near-infrared spectroscopy to explore the pathogenesis of these and other psychiatric disorders -- taking advantage of its ability to probe the specificity of frontal and prefrontal cortical areas in performing neuropsychological tests in psychiatric patients, for instance.

The NIRSOptix publications page includes a number of publications describing basic science studies using near-infrared spectroscopy for brain mapping applications.