Brainsight NIRS

NIRS (Near Infrared Spectroscopy) is a form of imaging that can capture brain function (functional brainimaging). NIRS uses infrared light to detect changes in the concentration of oxygenated and de-oxygenated haemoglobin in the blood, through obstacles such as skin and bone. Using principles developed for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), it has been established that these changes in blood oxygenation are directly correlated to alterations in brain activity.

Brainsight NIRS achieves this brain imaging using dual wavelength laser sources and high sensitivity detectors for deep brain measurements. In addition Brainsight NIRS benefits from supplementary detectors for dedicated measurement of superficial signals (e.g. from the scalp), which can then be removed from the analysis. The locations of all sources and detectors can then be recorded using Brainsight’s neuronavigation features, allowing the variations in blood oxygenation levels to be mapped onto 3D reconstructions of the subject’s brain (or an average brain, if subject-specific MRI is not available).