Comparison of cortical activation in an upper limb added-purpose task versus a single-purpose task: a near-infrared spectroscopy study

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare prefrontal activations during an added-purpose task with those during a single-purpose task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. [Subjects] Six healthy right-handed adults were included in this study. [Methods] The participants were instructed to complete both added-purpose and single-purpose activities separately with each hand. The near-infrared spectroscopy probes were placed on the scalp overlying the prefrontal cortex, according to the International 10–20 system (Fz). Changes in the oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations in the prefrontal cortex were measured during performance of the activities. We then compared the number of activation channels with significant increase in oxygenated hemoglobin, during added-purpose activity to single-purpose activity using both hands separately. [Results] A greater number of widespread activations were observed in the prefrontal cortex during the added-purpose task than during the single-purpose task. These results were noted with both right and left hands. [Conclusion] According to our findings, added-purpose activity can bring about more activation in the prefrontal cortex, which may provide occupational therapists with effective guides in therapeutic practice.

A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study on hemodynamic changes of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness responding to different auditory stimuli

“…HbO is an effective physiologic index used to describe the oxyhemoglobin content and oxygen molecular energy supply in the brain region, which can indirectly indicate the cerebral cortex's metabolic and functional activity intensity [41,42]. In fNIRS studies, the mean value of the HbO concentration re ects the signal amplitude, while the slope indicates the rate of change in signal amplitude per unit of time [31,43]. We found that when the three groups (HC, MCS, and VS) were compared, the slope of the hemodynamic responses in the MCS group was higher than in the other groups.…”

“…The mean concentration was the mean value of the brain functional response curve of HbO/HbR signals from 2-20 seconds after task stimulation. For the slope of a line of best t, the linear tting method was used to obtain the best estimate of the slope of a signal segment, calculated as the slope of a line of best t of the brain functional response curve of HbO/HbR signals from 5-15 seconds after task stimulation[31].…”

A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study on hemodynamic changes of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness responding to different auditory stimuli

“…CBSI method is a channel-by-channel method used to filter motion artifacts, which is proposed and confirmed by Cui, et al and Brigadoi, et al [28,29], and the trials were rejected by detecting serious motion artifacts which couldn't be corrected. The data were normalized using the z-score method after pre-processing of HbO/HbR signals [30]. Then, the data of the trials were segmented into epochs, starting 5 s before the stimulation onset and ending 45 s after the audio stimulation.…”

Effects of virtual reality-based robot therapy combined with task-oriented therapy on upper limb function and cerebral cortex activation in patients with stroke

“…[13] Therefore, task-oriented therapies for daily living are frequently used in clinical practice. Continuous participation in task-oriented therapy increases the number of repetitive functional movements, their efficiency, [14] and the frequency and duration of functional movements. [15] However, if only simple and repetitive activities are performed in task-oriented therapy, the patient’s concentration and motivation may decrease, which may negatively affect the treatment, particularly among patients with limitations, such as attention deficit disorder or depression.…”