PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) relies on near-infrared (NIR) light for changes in tissue oxygenation. For decades, this technique has been used in neuroscience to measure cortical activity. However, recent research suggests that NIR light directed to neural populations can modulate their activity through \"photobiomodulation\" (PBM). Yet, fNIRS is being used exclusively as a measurement tool. By adopting cognitive tests sensitive to prefrontal functioning, we show that a \'classical\' fNIRS device, placed in correspondence of the prefrontal cortices of healthy participants, induces faster RTs and better accuracy in some of the indexes considered. A well-matched control group, wearing the same but inactive device, did not show any improvement. Hence, our findings indicate that the \'standard\' use of fNIRS devices generates PBM impacting cognition. The neuromodulatory power intrinsic in that technique has been so far completely overlooked, and future studies will need to take this into account.
摘要：
功能近红外光谱(fNIRS)依赖于近红外(NIR)光来改变组织氧合。几十年来,该技术已在神经科学中用于测量皮质活动。然而,最近的研究表明，针对神经群体的NIR光可以通过“光生物调节”（PBM）调节其活动。然而，fNIRS仅用作测量工具。通过采用对前额叶功能敏感的认知测试，我们展示了一个经典的fNIRS设备，放置在健康参与者的前额皮质对应的位置，在所考虑的某些指标中会导致更快的RTs和更好的准确性。一个匹配良好的对照组，穿着相同但不活跃的设备，没有表现出任何改善。因此，我们的研究结果表明，fNIRS设备的标准使用会产生影响认知的PBM。到目前为止，该技术中固有的神经调节能力被完全忽略了，未来的研究需要考虑到这一点。
