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Updated: Aug 30, 2026
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks
Published on: December 5, 2014
Functional brain imaging using fMRI and optical topography in infancy
Yukuo Konishi1, Gentaro Taga, Hiroki Yamada
1Department of Infant's Brain and Coginitive Development, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1 Kawada-cho Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan. ykonishi@abmes.twmu.ac.jp
Insights
Visual cortex responses in infants change with age. Functional magnetic resonance imaging and optical topography reveal distinct patterns in neonates versus older infants, possibly due to rapid synaptogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Visual Neuroscience
Background:
- The developing visual cortex undergoes significant changes in early life.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for assessing visual development and detecting potential abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in visual cortex activity and cerebral oxygenation in infants.
- To explore the maturation of visual processing pathways from neonates to older infants.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and optical topography (non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy) were used.
- Stimulus-related signal changes and spontaneous oscillations in oxy-hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxy-Hb were analyzed.
- Two infant age groups (<60 days and >60 days) were studied during sedation and sleep.
Main Results:
- Stimulus-related signals were positive in the lateral geniculate nucleus for all infants.
- A reversal of signal change was observed in the primary visual cortex: positive in younger infants, negative in older infants.
- Spatially synchronized oscillations in oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb were present in neonates but not in 1-month-old infants.
- Oscillation stability and phase lag differed between neonates and 1-month-old infants.
Conclusions:
- Infant visual cortex function undergoes significant maturation within the first two months of life.
- Observed changes in visual cortex activity and cerebral oxygenation patterns suggest rapid synaptogenesis.
- These findings provide insights into the neurodevelopmental trajectory of the human visual system.
Abstract:
We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging and optical topography over the visual cortex of subjects during sedation with pentobarbital, and 8-Hz flickering light was intermittently projected onto their eyelids. Two age groups were analyzed: infants <60 days old and those >60 days old (corrected for gestational age at birth). The stimulus-related signal change was positive in the lateral geniculate nucleus regardless of the infant's age, but it reversed in the primary visual cortex from positive in the infants less than 60 days old to negative in the infants more than 60 days old (Experiment 1). We also investigated spontaneous changes in the cerebral oxygenation state of neonates and infants aged 1 month during quiet sleeping by using a form of multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy: non-invasive optical topography. Spatially synchronized oscillations of changes in the concentration of oxy-hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxy-Hb were observed throughout the occipital cortex in neonates but not in the infants aged 1 month. Time series analysis based on the theory of non-linear oscillations showed that the mean periods of the oscillation for each infant ranged from 11 to 18s. The phase lag of oxy-Hb relative to deoxy-Hb was stable at about 3 pi/4 in neonates but in the infant aged 1 month, time lag was unstable. These findings may be due to rapid synaptogenesis in early life.
