Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Making MR Imaging Child's Play - Pediatric Neuroimaging Protocol, Guidelines and Procedure
Published on: July 30, 2009
Task-based functional neuroimaging in infants: a systematic review
Kofi Agyeman1, Tristan McCarty1, Harpreet Multani1
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States.
Background:
Infancy is characterized by rapid neurological transformations leading to consolidation of lifelong function capabilities. Studying the infant brain is crucial for understanding how these mechanisms develop during this sensitive period. We review the neuroimaging modalities used with infants in stimulus-induced activity paradigms specifically, for the unique opportunity the latter provide for assessment of brain function.
Methods:
Conducted a systematic review of literature published between 1977-2021, via a comprehensive search of four major databases. Standardized appraisal tools and inclusion/exclusion criteria were set according to the PRISMA guidelines.
Results:
Two-hundred and thirteen papers met the criteria of the review process. The results show clear evidence of overall cumulative growth in the number of infant functional neuroimaging studies, with electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to be the most utilized and fastest growing modalities with behaving infants. However, there is a high level of exclusion rates associated with technical limitations, leading to limited motor control studies (about ) in this population.
Conclusion:
Although the use of functional neuroimaging modalities with infants increases, there are impediments to effective adoption of existing technologies with this population. Developing new imaging modalities and experimental designs to monitor brain activity in awake and behaving infants is vital.
