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Category Archives: sfNIRS2024-Session-3
Su-040-Exploring the activation of the right Temporoparietal Junction during mentalizing across species and agents
What is the involvement of the right Temporoparietal Junction (rTPJ) during mentalizing across species and agents? Using fNIRS, rTPJ activity was measured while participants (analyzed n = 16) had real-life interactions or observed screen-based interactions with a human, AI, or dog, with both tasks triggering mentalizing. A channel-of-interest analysis revealed no significant differences in rTPJ activation across agents or tasks. While participants anthropomorphized the agents differently across tasks, this was not a consistent predictor of rTPJ activation. These first findings suggest that mentalizing agents across tasks show clear distinct profiles at the behavioral but not brain level. Continue reading
Su-059-Impact of Cognitive Load Domains on Neural Activation During Laparoscopic Appendicectomy Procedure
High cognitive workload (CWL) states, particularly extraneous, account for 87.1% of medical errors. 10 surgical trainees carried out 5 simulated laparoscopic appendicectomies, involving a benchmarking procedure and a 2x2 trial design to investigate the effects of intrinsic load (intra-operative bleeding) and extraneous load (auditory distractions) upon prefrontal cortical activation, perceived workload, and technical performance. A main effect of extraneous load (i.e. intraoperative auditory and team distractions) upon perceived workload and technical performance (task completion times and specimen dissection) was demonstrated. fNIRS data analysis is ongoing. Intra-operative events increase perceived workload, stress, distraction and technical performance. Continue reading
Su-069-Localizing fNIRS hemodynamic oscillations on the cortical surface using wavelet Maximum Entropy on the Mean
Reconstructing fNIRS hemodynamic fluctuations on the cortical surface is an ill-posed problem that requires validation. The wavelet-based maximum Entropy on the Mean (wMEM) method has recently been validated for the localization of EEG/MEG resting-state activity. In this work, we adapted wMEM for the localization of fNIRS resting state activity, validating it using controlled simulations and localizing hemodynamic fluctuations during sleep. Continue reading
Su-068-Portable, High-Density, Whole-Head Diffuse Optical Tomography in Highly Naturalistic Settings
Though noninvasive neuroimaging has been working towards technologies that are high resolution, robust to motion, and compatible with naturalistic settings, there has remained a tradeoff between resolution and portability. Our new, wearable, high-density (WHD), whole-head DOT system offers the high spatial resolution of conventional DOT, portability, and robustness to motion. We demonstrate the system in vivo in laboratory conditions and naturalistic tasks, including walking, playing piano, and social interaction. Even in unconstrained, natural, non-laboratory environments with freely-moving participants, we detect brain activations consistent with known brain networks. Continue reading
Su-067-Using fNIRS to understand the utility of brain stimulation for optimising cognitive performance.
Functional Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides a unique opportunity for research investigating effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on cognitive performance. The aim of the current study was to identify links between cognitive performance and oxygenation levels in response to brain stimulation in young, middle and older adults. Participants performed tasks before and after brain stimulation placed on the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Results revealed differential effects of brain stimulation between age groups, hemispheres, and tasks, with improvements in working memory tasks after left hemisphere stimulation related to increases in efficacy of neural activity within and between hemispheres. Continue reading
Su-097-Measuring cortical activity during motor imitation and observation in autistic and non-autistic adults and children
Neural profiles of motor imitation deficits in autism are unknown due to imaging modality constraints. We leveraged high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) and computer-vision based imitation assessments to simultaneously map brain function and measure imitation fidelity in autistic and non-autistic adults and children. Neural responses to motor observation and imitation show localized activations in visual, temporal, and motor cortex. Multiple cortical regions are differentially activated in adult and pediatric autistic and non-autistic cohorts. Continue reading
Su-022-High Density Diffuse Optical Tomography Reveals Differential Associations of Functional Connectivity During Motor Observation and Imitation with Social Reciprocity
We use high-density diffuse optical tomography to investigate brain activity during motor imitation and observation in neurotypical adults. To address the potential variability caused by individual differences in functional organization of the brain and spatial variation resulting from atlas-based head modeling, we use independent component analysis with reference (ICA-R). Subject-specific spatiotemporal components of brain function derived using ICA-R exhibited differential functional connectivity (FC) patterns during motor observation and imitation. The FC between specific components correlated with ratings of social reciprocity core to autism presentation. Continue reading
Su-095-The social brain network & adolescent screen time
During the COVID-19 pandemic we saw dramatic increases in reliance on screens and daily screen time use, especially for young people. Adolescence is a period of rapid maturation in brain areas relating to social cognition and as a result of excessive screen use typical social behaviours such as mentalizing and the underlying neural activity were disrupted. In the current study, we investigate the association of screen time on social brain activity and functional connectivity in adolescents using a validated social perception task. Continue reading
Su-094-Cerebral hemodynamics assessed with a wearable, low-cost NIRS device toward glymphatic flux estimation
Sleep is an essential mechanism for the maintenance of brain health and cognitive performance. A key feature of sleep is the clearance of the buildup of metabolic waste products through what has been termed the glymphatic system. Most investigations of the glymphatic system have been performed with invasive imaging in animals, though measurements in humans have been performed with MRI. To move toward a more ecologically viable measurement of the glymphatic system in humans, we have applied a recently developed, wearable, wireless NIRS device to measure hemodynamic activity correlated with flow in the glymphatic system during naturalistic sleep. Continue reading
Su-093-Effect of Baseline on Prefrontal Brain Activity during Single- and Dual-Task Walking in Healthy Adults and Persons with Parkinson’s Disease
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to examine the impact of different baselines on changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (∆HbO) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during a cognitive task, single-task (ST) walking, and dual-task (DT) walking in healthy young adults (HYA), healthy older adults (HOA), and persons with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). Baseline had a greater impact on ∆HbO during both walking tasks in PwPD, and during the cognitive task in PwPD and HOA. While baseline did not have an impact in HYA, there was more variability within the PFC in this group than the others during the cognitive task. Continue reading