ABSTRACT
This chapter devotes to the review of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging noninvasive imaging technique that uses the near-infrared light to assess cerebral hemodynamics in the cortical regions. Thus, fNIRS can be used as a simple tool to follow hemodynamic variations and quantify brain function. Additionally, patterns of brain activation can be evaluated using fNIRS to map variations of hemoglobin concentration in response to functional tasks. The chapter provides an overview of fNIRS and its applications in brain mapping studies. It then focuses on two of our recent studies involving fNIRS. The fNIRS system employs sets of light sources and detectors. During the measurements, light penetrates through the scalp and reaches the outermost cortical areas. The fNIRS system can consist of only one source–detector set (optodes) or multiple sets of optodes to cover larger cortical areas for purposes of mapping the brain activation and functional connectivity.
