Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
NUPAD - Center for Newborn Screening and Genetic Diagnostics, UFMG - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Int J Dev Neurosci. 2024 Nov;84(7):613-637. doi: 10.1002/jdn.10366. Epub 2024 Aug 12.
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) stands poised to revolutionize our understanding of auditory detection, speech perception, and language development in infants. In this study, we conducted a meticulous integrative review across Medline, Scopus, and LILACS databases, targeting investigations utilizing fNIRS to explore language-related features and cortical activation during auditory stimuli in typical infants. We included studies that used the NIRS technique to study language and cortical activation in response to auditory stimuli in typical infants between 0 and 3 years old. We used the ROBINS-I tool to assess the quality and the risk of bias in the studies. Our analysis, encompassing 66 manuscripts, is presented in standardized tables for streamlined data extraction. We meticulously correlated findings with children's developmental stages, delineating crucial insights into brain development and its intricate interplay with language outcomes. Although most studies have a high risk for overall bias, especially due to the high loss of data in NIRS studies, the low risk in the other domains is predominant and homogeneous among the studies. Highlighted are the unique advantages of fNIRS for pediatric studies, underscored by its innate suitability for use in children. This review accentuates fNIRS' capacity to elucidate the neural correlates of language processing and the sequential steps of language acquisition. From birth, infants exhibit abilities that lay the foundation for language development. The progression from diffuse to specific neural activation patterns is extremely influenced by exposure to languages, social interaction, and prosodic features and, reflects the maturation of brain networks involved in language processing. In conclusion, fNIRS emerges as an indispensable functional imaging modality, providing insights into the temporal dynamics of language acquisition and associated developmental milestones. This synthesis presents the pivotal role of fNIRS in advancing our comprehension of early language development and paves the way for future research endeavors in this domain.
功能性近红外光谱 (fNIRS) 有望彻底改变我们对婴儿听觉检测、言语感知和语言发展的理解。在这项研究中，我们在 Medline、Scopus 和 LILACS 数据库中进行了细致的综合回顾，旨在针对利用 fNIRS 探索正常婴儿听觉刺激下与语言相关的特征和皮质激活的研究进行调查。我们纳入了使用 NIRS 技术研究正常婴儿在 0 至 3 岁时对听觉刺激的语言和皮质激活的研究。我们使用 ROBINS-I 工具评估研究的质量和偏倚风险。我们的分析涵盖了 66 篇手稿，以标准化表格呈现，以便于数据提取。我们仔细地将发现与儿童的发育阶段相关联，深入了解大脑发育及其与语言结果的复杂相互作用。尽管大多数研究的总体偏倚风险较高，尤其是由于 NIRS 研究中数据丢失较高，但其他领域的低风险是主要的，并且在研究中是同质的。突出了 fNIRS 在儿科研究中的独特优势，其对儿童的固有适用性得到了强调。本综述强调了 fNIRS 阐明语言处理的神经相关性和语言习得的顺序步骤的能力。从出生开始，婴儿就表现出为语言发展奠定基础的能力。从弥散到特定的神经激活模式的进展受到语言接触、社会互动和韵律特征的极大影响，反映了参与语言处理的大脑网络的成熟。总之，fNIRS 作为一种不可或缺的功能成像方式，提供了对语言习得和相关发育里程碑的时间动态的深入了解。这一综合研究呈现了 fNIRS 在推进我们对早期语言发展的理解方面的关键作用，并为该领域的未来研究努力铺平了道路。
