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    Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess cognitive function in infants in rural Africa

    Lloyd-Fox, Sarah and Papademetriou, M. and Darboe, M.K. and Everdell, N.L. and Wegmuller, R. and Prentice, A.M. and Moore, S.E. and Elwell, Clare (2014) Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess cognitive function in infants in rural Africa. Scientific Reports 4 , p. 4740. ISSN 2045-2322.

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    Abstract

    Cortical mapping of cognitive function during infancy is poorly understood in low-income countries due to the lack of transportable neuroimaging methods. We have successfully piloted functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a neuroimaging tool in rural Gambia. Four-to-eight month old infants watched videos of Gambian adults perform social movements, while haemodynamic responses were recorded using fNIRS. We found distinct regions of the posterior superior temporal and inferior frontal cortex that evidenced either visual-social activation or vocally selective activation (vocal > non-vocal). The patterns of selective cortical activation in Gambian infants replicated those observed within similar aged infants in the UK. These are the first reported data on the measurement of localized functional brain activity in young infants in Africa and demonstrate the potential that fNIRS offers for field-based neuroimaging research of cognitive function in resource-poor rural communities.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): Cognitive neuroscience, Risk factors, Biomarkers
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Psychological Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Brain and Cognitive Development, Centre for (CBCD)
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 30 Apr 2014 12:55
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:10
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/9660

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