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Neuroscience JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

fMRI Validation of fNIRS Measurements During a Naturalistic Task

DOI: 10.3791/52116-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Compare fNIRS and fMRI brain activity measurements during naturalistic tasks
  • ✓ Validate fNIRS signal reliability against fMRI gold standard
  • ✓ Analyze and correlate multimodal neuroimaging data streams
  • ✓ Apply software tools for neuroimaging data preprocessing and registration
Protocol

We present a method to compare functional brain activity recorded during a naturalistic task using fNIRS with activity recorded during fMRI.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~4–6 hours per subject (fMRI + fNIRS acquisition, preprocessing, and analysis)

Steps

1
Modify software and hardware for neuroimaging integration

Configure and integrate fNIRS and fMRI hardware systems with synchronized data acquisition software. Ensure proper signal conditioning and triggering between modalities.

▶ 01:09
2
Conduct fMRI testing and signal analysis

Acquire fMRI data during the naturalistic task protocol and perform standard preprocessing, registration, and statistical analysis to identify brain activation patterns.

▶ 02:10
3
Set up fNIRS system and acquire optical data

Position fNIRS optode arrays on the scalp, configure light source and detector parameters, and record hemodynamic signals during the same naturalistic task.

▶ 03:35
4
Preprocess and analyze fNIRS time series

Apply motion artifact correction, optical density conversion, and Beer-Lambert law transformation to generate fNIRS concentration maps aligned to anatomical space.

▶ 06:06
5
Compare fMRI and fNIRS activation signals spatially

Register both modality outputs to common brain space and assess spatial overlap and correspondence of detected brain regions.

▶ 07:01
6
Quantify correlation between fMRI and fNIRS

Calculate statistical correlations (e.g., Pearson r) between time-resolved fMRI and fNIRS signals in regions of interest to validate fNIRS measurement reliability.

▶ 09:01
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