Reliability of brain metrics derived from a Time-Domain Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy System

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Precision medicine requires reliable, noninvasive neuroimaging biomarkers.
• Existing neuroimaging methods may lack scalability or validity.
• Time-Domain Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) offers a promising noninvasive approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the test-retest reliability (TRR) of metrics from Kernel's Flow2 TD-fNIRS system.
• To evaluate reliability across different experimental conditions and time points.
• To validate the Flow2 system for potential clinical biomarker applications.

Main Methods:

• A repeated-measures design with 49 healthy participants.
• Quantified TRR of Flow2-derived metrics under resting state, auditory, and cognitive (Go/No-Go) tasks.
• Utilized multiple time points and different headset configurations.

Main Results:

• High TRR was observed for resting-state metrics including hemoglobin concentrations and functional connectivity.
• Auditory and Go/No-Go tasks showed consistent activation patterns across test-retest sessions.
• Reliability was highest in auditory regions (auditory task) and right prefrontal cortex (Go/No-Go task).

Conclusions:

• Kernel's Flow2 TD-fNIRS system demonstrates robust test-retest reliability.
• The system's metrics are suitable for developing brain-based biomarkers for neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive disorders.
• This technology supports the advancement of noninvasive neuroimaging for precision medicine.