Development of wearable optical topography system for mapping the prefrontal cortex activation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Optical topography (OT) utilizes near-infrared spectroscopy to measure changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) concentrations in the brain.
• OT is a noninvasive technique suitable for all age groups, offering a less constraining method for brain function investigation.
• Conventional OT systems with optical fibers restrict head movement; smaller, fiberless systems exist but have limited measurement channels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact, lightweight, and wearable OT system covering the entire forehead.
• To assess the system's capability in measuring hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex during cognitive tasks.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel, small, light, and wearable optical topography prototype.
• Deployment of the prototype to measure oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb concentration changes.
• Utilizing a word fluency task to stimulate cognitive activity in the prefrontal cortex.

Main Results:

• The developed wearable OT system successfully measured typical changes in oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb concentrations.
• Observed hemodynamic responses correlated with the cognitive demands of the word fluency task.

Conclusions:

• The prototype wearable OT system demonstrates potential for investigating prefrontal cortex functions.
• This technology offers a more flexible and less constraining approach to brain activity monitoring.