Applications of functional near-infrared spectroscopy to rehabilitation

Abstract

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive optical imaging technique for assessing functional activity of the cerebral cortex by measuring hemodynamic responses. fNIRS has been used for the assessment of the cerebral activities of patients with stroke and mental diseases because it allows measuring the hemodynamics in safety, quiet, and unconstrained environments. On the other hand, however, it has been reported that the hemodynamic responses to neuronal activities are contaminated by physiological and instrument noise which is non-negligible. In the present study, causes of the noise in the rehabilitation and those removal methods will be discussed.