fNIRS in the developmental sciences

Abstract

With the introduction of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) into the experimental setting, developmental scientists have, for the first time, the capacity to investigate the functional activation of the infant brain in awake, engaged participants. The advantages of fNIRS clearly outweigh the limitations, and a description of how this technology is implemented in infant populations is provided. Most fNIRS research falls into one of three content domains: object processing, processing of biologically and socially relevant information, and language development. Within these domains, there are ongoing debates about the origins and development of human knowledge, making early neuroimaging particularly advantageous. The use of fNIRS has allowed investigators to begin to identify the localization of early object, social, and linguistic knowledge in the immature brain and the ways in which this changes with time and experience. In addition, there is a small but growing body of research that provides insight into the neural mechanisms that support and facilitate learning during the first year of life. At the same time, as with any emerging field, there are limitations to the conclusions that can be drawn on the basis of current findings. We offer suggestions as to how to optimize the use of this technology to answer questions of theoretical and practical importance to developmental scientists.

Visual working memory in early development: a developmental cognitive neuroscience perspective

“…Although there is some disagreement in the underlying neural underpinnings of these developmental changes, the extant literature indicates areas of frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex as well as the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system are involved in VWM in infancy (Bacher et al 2017;Baird et al 2002;Bell 2012;Wilcox and Biondi 2015;Wilcox et al 2010Wilcox et al , 2012 and childhood (Buss et al 2014;Crone et al 2006;Klingberg et al 2002;Scherf et al 2006;Sweeney et al 1996). Increases in frontal activity are found to occur with increases in age, task demands, and task performance (Buss et al 2016;Perlman et al 2016;Tsujimoto et al 2004).…”

“…Research utilizing fNIRS to examine neural correlates of object processing in infancy has provided support for the possibility that regions of temporal cortex are involved in infant VWM for occluded objects (e.g., Wilcox and Biondi 2015;Wilcox et al 2010Wilcox et al , 2012. For example, Wilcox et al (2012) tested 3-to 5-and 11-to 12-mo-old infants in an occlusion task in which objects moved behind a screen and then reappeared on the other side of the screen.…”

Human brain development over the early years

“…While we cannot simultaneously measure brain structure in fNIRS, it is more tolerant to movement allowing task-related states in awake infants to be studied. fNIRS is used to study different brain processes in young infants, such as object processing, face processing, processing of human motion, language processing and learning, unimodal perceptual processing, multisensory processing, and resting state and cortical organization [41,42].…”

Object processing in the infant: lessons from neuroscience

“…More detailed descriptions of technology, methods, and experimental contexts in which infants have been tested can be found in current reviews [7,8,97–99]. …”