Integrated Neuroscience Research Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2011 Nov 28;369(1955):4425-39. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2011.0262.
Although near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was originally designed for clinical monitoring of tissue oxygenation, it has also been developing into a useful tool for neuroimaging studies (functional NIRS). Over the past 30 years, technology has developed and NIRS has found a wide range of applications. However, the accuracy and reliability of NIRS have not yet been widely accepted, mainly because of the difficulties in selective and quantitative detection of signals arising in cerebral tissue, which subject the use of NIRS to a number of practical restrictions. This review summarizes the strengths and advantages of NIRS over other neuroimaging modalities and demonstrates specific examples. The issues of selective quantitative measurement of cerebral haemoglobin during brain activation are also discussed, together with the problems of applying the methods of functional magnetic resonance imaging data analysis to NIRS data analysis. Finally, near-infrared optical tomography--the next generation of NIRS--is described as a potential technique to overcome the limitations of NIRS.
尽管近红外光谱（NIRS）最初是为了临床监测组织氧合而设计的，但它也已经发展成为神经影像学研究（功能 NIRS）的有用工具。在过去的 30 年中，技术不断发展，NIRS 已经找到了广泛的应用。然而，NIRS 的准确性和可靠性尚未得到广泛认可，主要是因为选择性和定量检测脑内信号的困难，这使得 NIRS 的使用受到了许多实际限制。
本综述总结了 NIRS 相对于其他神经影像学模式的优势和优点，并展示了具体的例子。还讨论了在大脑激活过程中选择性定量测量脑血红蛋白的问题，以及将功能磁共振成像数据分析方法应用于 NIRS 数据分析的问题。最后，描述了近红外光断层扫描——下一代 NIRS——作为克服 NIRS 局限性的潜在技术。
