The objective of this application to the NIH Shared Instrumentation Program is to allow the research community at Stanford University access to a high-density, MR-compatible, functional near-infrared spectroscopy system. The requested instrument (a NIRx 64-source, 64-detector, NIRSport2 with NIRScout2 module) represents a substantial upgrade to the university's neuroimaging resources, and will significantly enhance the institution's cutting-edge, NIH-funded, cognitive and clinical neuroscience research. The requested instrument is unparalleled in its power and sensitivity, and in its flexibility (in terms of the populations for which it is appropriate, and the range of conditions under which it can be used to obtain functional neuroimaging data). Projects for which we will use this new equipment cross the human life span - from critically ill infants, to children and adolescents with neurological, psychiatric, developmental, and behavioral disorders, and aging adults with cognitive impairments (all populations from whom it can be challenging to obtain valid functional MRI data). The research interests of the team of prestigious researchers we have assembled in this proposal is interdisciplinary, integrating fNIRS data with genetic markers, neuropsychological and physiological measures, and other functional neuroimaging and neuromonitoring techniques. The addition of the NIRSport2 will extend NIH-funded projects that improve our understanding of a range of clinical disorders (fragile X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, type 1 diabetes), affective disorders (major depressive disorder, anxiety), aging (mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease), and sleep dysregulation. The research supported by the NIRSport2 system will facilitate the development of novel, and individually-tailored interventions and treatments (i.e. precision medicine), for example, real-time neurofeedback as an early therapeutic intervention for childhood neuropsychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment in aging adults. Further, the modularity of the NIRSport2 will allow us to transform our research with a new emphasis on the neural basis of social interactions and social disorders, since it allows for simultaneous multi-person imaging. The NIRSport2 is also fully ambulatory and thus will enhance our investigations into the effect of aerobic exercise on ADHD and the influence of sleep disordered breathing in autism. These features, combined with the opportunity for whole-head coverage offered by the NIRSport2 allowing the investigation of functional brain circuits, will provide detailed data that elucidate the neural basis of typical and atypical brain function. In summary, access to the requested instrument will significantly enhance the research capabilities of numerous investigators at Stanford, thereby directly contributing to the acquisition of data critical for improving the health and well-being of persons with brain disorders.
The research projects that will be enhanced by access to the requested shared instrument - a functional near- infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system - are of enormous relevance to public health as the neural systems that will be assessed span the entire human lifespan and address both typical and atypical brain function. Accordingly, acquisition of the requested shared instrument will be critical for our efforts to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying typical brain function, as well as a wide variety of behavioral, neurological, psychiatric and developmental disorders, and will inform the development of clinical and therapeutic interventions that have the potential to improve the health and well-being for millions in our country. As fNIRS represents the most appropriate neuroimaging technique for the clinical populations to be studied, and the only technique that allows functional neuroimaging to be performed under near-naturalistic conditions, the addition of the fNIRS system to Stanford's neuroimaging resources will significantly enhance the institution's cutting-edge, NIH-funded, cognitive and clinical neuroscience research.
