Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a portable, non-invasive, brain imaging technology that uses low levels of non-ionizing light to record changes in cerebral blood flow in the brain through optical sensors placed on the surface of the scalp. These signals are recorded via flexible fiber optic cables, which allow neuroimaging experiments to be conducted on participants while performing tasks such as standing or walking. FNIRS has the potential to provide new insights into the evolution of brain activation during ambulatory motor learning tasks and standing tasks to probe balance and vestibular function. In this study, a 32 channel fNIRS system was used to record blood flow changes in the frontal, motor, sensory, and temporal cortices during active balancing associated with playing a video game simulating downhill skiing (Nintendo Wii™; Wii-fit™). Using fNIRS, we found activation of superior temporal gyrus, which was modulated by the difficulty of the balance task. This region had been previously implicated in vestibular function from other animal and human studies.

There is no accepted clinical imaging modality for concussion, and current imaging modalities including fMRI, DTI, and PET are expensive and inaccessible to most clinics/ patients. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive, portable, and low-cost imaging modality that can measure brain activity. The purpose of this study was to compare brain activity as measured by fNIRS in concussed and age-matched controls during the performance of cognitive tasks from a computerized neurocognitive test battery. Participants included nine currently symptomatic patients aged 18–45 years with a recent (15–45 days) sport-related concussion and five age-matched healthy controls. The participants completed a computerized neurocognitive test battery while wearing the fNIRS unit. Our results demonstrated reduced brain activation in the concussed subject group during word memory, (spatial) design memory, digit-symbol substitution (symbol match), and working memory (X’s and O’s) tasks. Behavioral performance (percent-correct and reaction time respectively) was lower for concussed participants on the word memory, design memory, and symbol match tasks than controls. The results of this preliminary study suggest that fNIRS could be a useful, portable assessment tool to assess reduced brain activation and augment current approaches to assessment and management of patients following concussion.

Objective To test for associations between abnormal respiratory ciliary motion (CM) and brain abnormalities in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) Study design We recruited 35 infants with CHD preoperatively and performed nasal tissue biopsy to assess respiratory CM by videomicroscopy. Cranial ultrasound and brain magnetic resonance imaging were obtained pre- and/or post-operatively and systematically reviewed for brain abnormalities. Segmentation was used to quantitate cerebrospinal fluid and regional brain volumes. Perinatal and perioperative clinical variables were collected. Results A total of 10 (28.5%) patients with CHD had abnormal CM. Abnormal CM was not associated with brain injury, but was correlated with increased extra-axial CSF volume (p<0.001), delayed brain maturation (p<0.05), and a spectrum of subtle dysplasia including the hippocampus (p<0.0078) and olfactory bulb (p<0.034). Abnormal CM was associated with higher composite dysplasia score (p<0.001) and both were correlated with elevated pre-operative serum lactate (p <0.001). Conclusion Abnormal respiratory CM in infants with CHD is associated with a spectrum of brain dysplasia. These findings suggest that ciliary defects may play a role in brain dysplasia in patients with CHD and have the potential to prognosticate neurodevelopmental risks.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive brain imaging technology that uses light to measure changes in cortical hemoglobin concentrations. FNIRS measurements are recorded through fiber optic cables, which allow the participant to wear the fNIRS sensors while standing upright. Thus, fNIRS technology is well suited to study cortical brain activity during upright balance, stepping, and gait tasks. In this study, fNIRS was used to measure changes in brain activation from the frontal, motor, and premotor brain regions during an upright step task that required subjects to step laterally in response to visual cues that required executive function control. We hypothesized that cognitive processing during complex stepping cues would elicit brain activation of the frontal cortex in areas involved in cognition. Our results show increased prefrontal activation associated with the processing of the stepping cues. Moreover, these results demonstrate the potential to use fNIRS to investigate cognitive processing during cognitively demanding balance and gait studies. Hum Brain Mapp 34:2817–2828, 2013. VC 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.