Page 2 - LifeScience Solution for FNIRS

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Shimadzu Provides Powerful Support for Shimadzu is a pioneer in NIRS measurement to

Brain Function Research in a Wide Variety of Fields observe the brain by light

The 21 century is said to be the century of the brain, where neuroscience is an advanced interdisciplinary field of study, with significant In the late 1980s, Shimadzu started researching using near infrared light to measure the oxygen kinetics in biological tissue, which led
st
progress in research being made in a broad range of areas, from basic research to clinical applications in medical and biological fields to to releasing the OM-100A in 1991, Japan's first clinical noninvasive oxygen monitor. At the time, it was mainly used to evaluate the
even industrial applications. oxygen kinetics in vascular diseases and muscles. Based on the technology cultivated for those applications, we successively developed
There are many aspects of how the brain relates to the "mind," such as how we think, memorize, recognize, and feel emotions, that and released multi-channel type optical brain-function imaging systems designed specifically for the brain (LABNIRS).
are still not well understood. Researching such brain science is truly at the frontier of life-science research, all over the world, work is Brain function varies depending on the part (area) of the brain. Such as language area, which is used to understand and manipulate
being conducted on a wide variety of research projects in integrated areas that involve multiple fields. words, the motor cortex, which is used to move various parts of the body, and the prefrontal cortex, which thought to be responsible
Brain function research is not limited to traditional research areas, such as psychiatry, neurology, human development, and psychology. for higher cognitive functions, e.g. recognition and decision making.
There is now increasing interest from various rehabilitation or applied engineering fields and the social and human sciences as well, and If there was an easy and noninvasive method of measuring the brain that allows evaluating the functions of specific areas of the brain,
economics. This range of research is expanding at an increasing rate. then that method could be used for a wide range of applications, such as reseach of early detection of dementia or determining the
Furthermore, a variety of measurement technologies and instruments have been developed as methods to research brain function. effectiveness of rehabilitation or the loss of brain function in mental disorders.
Some of the methods include EEG (electroencephalography), fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), PET (positron emission In engineering fields, active progress is being made in researching technology to operate machinery using brain activity, referred to as
tomography), and MEG (magnetoencephalography) (see Table 1). One new method which was developed and has been raising brain-machine interface (BMI) technology.
expectations in recent years, is fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy). This method is capable of measuring brain function As a pioneer of NIRS measurement technology, Shimadzu has been working with researchers in a variety of fields to promote research
noninvasively by using infrared light, which offers superior penetration of the body. fNIRS has several advantages over other measure- in the observation of the brain using light and has contributed to the development of brain function research in many different areas.
ment methods, such as fewer constraints on the subject. Consequently, as a measurement method that allows a high degree of
freedom, applications of the technology are increasing at a rapid rate. One of the main benefits of fNIRS is its high compatibility with
other measurement methods, which means it is capable of simultaneous measurements.

Table 1 Typical Instruments Used to Measure Brain Function
MEG PET fMRI EEG fNIRS
Magnetoencephalography Positron Emission Functional Magnetic Electroencephalography Functional Near-
Tomography Resonance Imaging Infrared Spectroscopy
Magnetism Gamma rays Electromagnetic Electric Potential Near Infrared Light
Neuro-electrical current Cerebral Waves Neuro-electrical current Changes in cerebral
Measurement blood flow and blood Changes in cerebral blood flow
Subject
volume blood flow (Deoxy-Hb
Changes in metabolites (Deoxy-Hb) Oxy-Hb)
Time One hundred
Resolution Milliseconds Minutes Seconds Milliseconds milliseconds
Quickly captures Quickly captures Allows measurement of
Features first-order reactions of Quantifiable Provides information first-order reactions of nearly routine activity
neurons about form neurons
Contents

Page
Principle of Using Near Infrared Light to Measure Brain Function P.4
Optical Brain-Function Imaging P.6
Applications
Neurorehabilitation P.8
Comparison of fNIRS and fMRI P.9
Brain Activity during Motor Control P.10
Simultaneous Measurement with EEG P.12
NIRS Signal Analysis Method P.14
Investigating Inner Speech P.16
Language Processing Functions P.18
Mental Disorder Research P.20
Key References Regarding Shimadzu fNIRS P.23