Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and the developing brain

出生后大脑功能网络的可塑性与对环境刺激的脆弱性增加有关。功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）研究了发育中大脑区域间和区域内功能连接的个体发育和时间表现。婴儿期早期功能网络的发展可预测儿童期的认知结果。生理变化，如不规则的灌注或血管反应性，可能会影响儿童期的功能连接和随后的学习和记忆能力;然而，发育中的大脑中血管变化和功能连接之间的关联仍然未知。 功能性近红外光谱（fNIRS）是一种与fMRI相当的脑成像技术，因为它通过使光穿过颅骨和脑来检测氧合和脱氧血红蛋白，从而对脑血流动力学变化敏感。fNIRS的最新进展已经克服了新生儿MRI的几个局限性，因为它对运动不敏感，并且具有出色的时间分辨率（~ 100 ms）。 在幼儿中使用fNIRS检查静息状态网络的研究报告了任务诱发的模式之间的相当大的重叠（即，语言任务）和功能性静止状态网络（即，语言网络）。较少的研究集中在新生儿的静息状态网络，因为在这一人群中获得高质量的fNIRS数据面临挑战。在过去的2年中，fNIRS技术的最新进展已经导致了高度便携式系统的发展，该系统可以安装在婴儿的婴儿床中，允许在婴儿清醒时在自然环境中记录大脑活动。 目前的提案要求为便携式fNIRS系统提供资金，该系统可以轻松运输，以获取产科病房健康新生儿的数据。我们的研究团队是高度跨学科的教育心理学，新生儿神经科学和生物医学工程的背景。通过使用这种新的设备，我们将开发新的协议，便携式光学设备，研究新生儿脑血流动力学，并检查与功能连接网络的关联。 拟议的设备将为新学员提供获取和分析fNIRS数据的若干培训机会。该设备还将促进目前的学员参与我们的婴儿和儿童研究计划，以及先进的fNIRS分析。 更好地了解大脑成熟的个体差异可能有助于预测大脑连接的变化，这一知识可能为更有效的早期干预教学方法奠定基础，这些方法适用于特定功能性大脑系统发育的关键时期。

Postnatal brain plasticity of functional networks is associated with increased vulnerability to environmental stimuli. The ontogeny and temporal manifestations of inter- and intra-regional functional connectivity in the developing brain have been studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The development of early functional networks in infancy predicts cognitive outcomes in childhood. Physiological changes, such irregular perfusion or vascular reactivity, may impact functional connectivity and subsequent learning and memory abilities in childhood; yet, the association amongst vascular changes and functional connectivity in the developing brain remains unknown. Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a brain imaging technique comparable to fMRI in that it is sensitive to cerebral hemodynamic changes through detecting oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin by passing light through the skull and brain. Recent advances in fNIRS have overcome several of the limitations of neonatal MRI, in that it is insensitive to movement and has excellent temporal resolution (~100ms). Research examining resting-state networks with fNIRS in young children reported considerable overlap between patterns evoked by tasks (i.e., language task) and in functional resting-state networks (i.e., language networks). Less research has focussed on resting-state networks in newborn infants due to challenges faced with acquiring high-quality fNIRS data in this population. More recent advances in fNIRS technology within the last 2 years have led to the development of highly portable systems that can fit in an infant's crib, permitting the recording of brain activity in naturalistic settings while babies are awake. The current proposal is requesting funding for a portable fNIRS system that can be easily transported to acquire data in healthy day-old newborns on maternity wards. Our research team is highly interdisciplinary with backgrounds in educational psychology, neonatal neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. By using this novel equipment we will be to develop novel protocols for portable optical devices to study cerebral hemodynamics in neonates and examine the association with functional connectivity networks. The proposed equipment will offer several training opportunities for new trainees in the acquisition and analysis of fNIRS data. This equipment will also facilitate the current trainees engaged in our infant and child research programs, and advanced fNIRS analyses. Providing a better understanding of individual differences in brain maturation may aid in predicting alterations in brain connectivity, this knowledge may lay the foundation for more effective early-intervention teaching methods calibrated to critical periods in the development of specific functional brain systems.