Cancellation Method of Signal Fluctuations in Brain Function Measurements Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

To estimate brain activity, it is important to improve the accuracy of brain function measurements by using near-infrared spectroscopy. The detection of signals is vital for correcting any disturbances or changes in the skin blood volume. We developed a cancellation method for brain probes placed on the scalp in the configuration of an equilateral triangle. In this configuration, 12 types of target signals were detected between the vertices, and 6 types of correction signals were detected between the vertices and the center of the triangle. We measured the changes in the blood volume resulting from the specific postural changes of the subject and applied the correction method using three calculation methods. The measured results showed that the correction signals were effective in reducing the disturbances. The correction was based on the cross-correlation coefficient and the amplitude ratio of signals.