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Despite promising advantages such as low cost and portability of functional near-infrared spectros- copy (fNIRS), it has yet to be widely implemented outside of basic research. Specifically, fNIRS has yet to be proven as a standalone tool within a clinical setting. The objective of this study was to assess hemodynamic concentration changes at the primary and premotor motor cortices as a result of simple whole-hand grasping and sequential finger-opposition (tapping) tasks. These tasks were repeated over 3 days in a randomized manner. Ten healthy young adults (23.8 � 4.8 years) participated in the study. Quantitatively, no statistically significant differences were discovered between the levels of activation for the two motor tasks ( p> 0.05). Overall, the signals were consistent across all 3 days. The findings show that both finger-opposition and hand grasping can be used interchangeably in fNIRS for assessment of motor function which would be useful in further advanc- ing techniques for clinical implementation. © 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) (DOI: 10.1117/1.NPh.3.2 .025006)

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy has yet to be implemented as a stand-alone technique within an ophthalmology clinical setting, despite its promising advantages. The present study aims to further investigate reliability of visual cortical signals. This was achieved by: (1) assessing the effects of optode placements using the 10-20 International System of Electrode Placement consisting of 28 channels, (2) determining effects of stimulus size on response, and (3) evaluating response variability as a result of cap placement across three sessions. Ten participants with mean age 23.8 � 4.8 years (five male) and varying types of hair color and thick- ness were recruited. Visual stimuli of black-and-white checkerboards, reversing at a frequency of 7.5 Hz were presented. Visual angles of individual checker squares included 1 deg, 2 deg, 5 deg, 9 deg, and 18 deg. The number of channels that showed response was analyzed for each participant, stimulus size, and session. 1-deg stimulus showed the greatest activation. One of three data collection sessions for each participant gave different results (p < 0.05). Hair color and thickness each had an effect upon the overall HbO (p < 0.05), while only color had a significant effect for HbD (p < 0.05). A reliable level of robustness and consistency is still required for clinical implementation and assessment of visual dysfunction. © 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers

Palmar and plantar grasp are the foremost primitive neonatal reflexes and functions. Persistence of these reflexes in infancy is a sign of evolving cerebral palsy. Our aims were to establish measurement feasibility in a clinical setting and to characterize changes in oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbD) concentration in the bilateral frontoparietal cortex in unsedated neonates at the crib-side using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We hypothesized that bilateral concentration changes will occur upon somatic central and peripheral somatic stimulation. Thirteen preterm neonates (five males) underwent time 1, and six (two males) returned for time 2 (mean [Formula: see text] and 47.0 weeks, respectively). Signals from a total of 162 somatic stimuli responses were measured. Response amplitude, duration, and latency were log-transformed and compared between palmar, plantar, and oromotor stimuli using linear mixed models, adjusted for cap, electroencephalogram abnormality, time (1 versus 2), and Sarnat score, if necessary. The oromotor stimulus resulted in a 50% greater response than the palmar or plantar stimuli for HbO left and right hemisphere duration ([Formula: see text]). There were no other statistically significant differences between stimuli for any other outcome ([Formula: see text]). Utilizing fNIRS in conjunction with occupational and physical therapy maneuvers is efficacious to study modifiable and restorative neurophysiological mechanisms.