Key result
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy serves as an effective, non-invasive tool for detecting and monitoring cortical hemodynamic changes associated with cognitive impairment in various neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Why the study?
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy shows great potential for researching cognitive impairment during tasks, prompting this review of its rationale, development, advantages, disadvantages, multimodal applications, and use across diseases.
Systematic Review
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy shows great potential in studying the neural mechanisms of cognitive activities, aiding in the diagnosis, differentiation, and treatment of cognitive impairment.
fNIRS may aid noninvasive cognitive assessment; leaves open standardization and clinical validation in prospective studies.
Cognitive impairment refers to the impairment of higher brain functions such as perception, thinking or memory that affects the individual's ability to perform daily or social activities. Studies have found that changes in neuronal activity during tasks in patients with cognitive impairment are closely related to changes in cerebral cortical hemodynamics. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy is an indirect method to measure neural activity based on changes in blood oxygen concentration in the cerebral cortex. Due to its strong anti-motion interference, high compatibility, and almost no restriction on participants and environment, it has shown great potential in the research field of cognitive impairment. Recognizing these benefits, this comprehensive review systematically elucidates the rationale, historical development, advantages and disadvantages of functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and also discusses the applications of combining functional near-infrared spectroscopy with other detection techniques. Additionally, this review summarized how functional near-infrared spectroscopy can be applied to cognitive impairment caused by different diseases, ultimately aiding the study of neural mechanisms of cognitive activities, which is crucial for the diagnosis, differentiation and treatment of cognitive impairment.
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Liu et al. (2025) conducted a systematic review in Cognitive impairment. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) vs. Other neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, EEG, PET) or healthy controls was evaluated. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy serves as an effective, non-invasive tool for detecting and monitoring cortical hemodynamic changes associated with cognitive impairment in various neurological and psychiatric diseases.
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