No abstract

SUMMARYNon-invasive techniques for the study of human brain function based on changes of the haemoglobin content or on changes of haemoglobin saturation have recently been proposed. Among the new methods, near-infrared transmission and reflection measurements may have significant advantages and complement well-established methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. Near-infrared measurements can be very fast, comparable in speed to electrophysiological measurements, but are better localized. We will present the demonstration of measurements of millisecond signals due to brain activity in humans following stimulation of the visual cortex. However, major unresolved questions remain about the origin of the signals observed. Optical measurements on exposed cortex in animals show that both the absorption and the scattering coefficient are affected by neural activity. Model calculations show that the signals we detected may originate from rapid changes of the scattering coefficient in a region about 1 to 2 cm below the scalp. We discuss our measurement protocol, which is based on a frequency-domain instrument, and the algorithm to separate the absorption from the scattering contribution in the overall optical response. Our method produces excellent separation between scattering and absorption in relatively homogeneous masses such as large muscles. The extrapolation of our measurement protocol to a complex structure such as the human head is critically evaluated.

Localized evoked activity of the human cortex produces fast changes in optical properties that can be detected noninvasively (event-related optical signal, or EROS). In the present study a fast EROS response (latency approximately 100 ms) elicited in the occipital cortex by visual stimuli showed spatial congruence with fMRI signals and temporal correspondence with VEPs, thus combining subcentimeter spatial localization with subsecond temporal resolution. fMRI signals were recorded from striate and extrastriate cortex. Both areas showed EROS peaks, but at different latencies after stimulation (100 and 200-300 ms, respectively). These results suggest that EROS manifests localized neuronal activity associated with information processing. The temporal resolution and spatial localization of this signal make it a promising tool for studying the time course of activity in localized brain areas and for bridging the gap between electrical and hemodynamic imaging methods.

Measures of parameters of the miwation of near-infrared photons through the head (attenuation, or intensity, and tinieof-flight, or delay) have been proposed as a way of assessing noninvasively and in a quasicontinuous fashion changes in the scattering and absorption properties of brain tissue. These, in turn. may reflect functional changes associated with behavioral tiisks. To test this hypothesis, we measured changes of photon migration parameters from scalp locations proximal to the motor cortex from four human subjects, tapping at a rate of 0.8 11z with their left or right hand, or with their left or right loot. Tapping produced both slow effects (requiring several seconds) and fast effects (tracking the tapping frequency).

Light injected at a point on a surface of a scattering medium is emitted at the surface after traveling a quasisemicircular path deep into the medium. This phenomenon can be exploited to detect objects immersed in the medium from time‐resolved measurements of light intensity at the surface. Our experiments on model systems demonstrate that absorbing objects, surrounded by bone and other scattering material, can be detected. The technique yields surface images of absorbing objects submerged in a scattering medium. Images of the same phantoms inside the cavity of a skull can be obtained by the same technique.