Part of the Joel Lecture series
Recorded on 18 July 2023
The last decade has seen unprecedented advances in the capability of neuroimaging technologies for studies of the human brain. Many of these advances have targeted increasingly specific investigations of brain activity and function under a range of applications. The advent of non invasive technologies has opened up whole new horizons for how, when and where we can image the brain.
During this lecture Clare discuss' the transformative impact of one such technology, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a portable, wearable and affordable optical neuroimaging technique. Engineering innovations have enabled NIRS images of brain oxygen metabolism to be acquired in infants and adults. NIRS studies of the developing brain are paving the way for early markers of autism in toddlers and following its successful implementation in resource poor settings, NIRS is now an important brain imaging tool in global health studies.