[Near-infrared optical imaging of human brain function--a novel approach to the brain and the mind]

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can measure changes in the hemoglobin oxygenation state in the human brain. NIRS has been oriented toward use for clinical monitoring of tissue oxygenation. However, we and others have recently demonstrated that NIRS also has the potential for neuroimaging. NIRS instruments, which use continuous wave light (CW) as a light source, are now commercially available. These CW-type NIRS instruments have high temporal resolution (less than 1 second) and allow long-term and continuous measurements, though they do not provide absolute values of changes in hemoglobin concentrations. In contrast, time-resolved spectroscopy (TRS), which uses short pulsed laser diodes as light sources, makes quantification possible. Quantification is necessary for the imaging of brain activity. Topographical images can be obtained by the use of our recently developed 64-channel time-resolved optical tomographic imaging system (optical CT) or by combining the 1 channel TRS instrument with the multichannel CW-type NIRS instrument. NIRS is completely non-invasive and does not require strict motion restriction during measurements unlike PET and fMRI. It is, thus, expected that NIRS will open a window into brain physiology in subjects who are difficult to examine with PET and fMRI such as children, the elderly, and patients with psychoneurological problems.