Dementia is a global health crisis, however, efforts to translate current research to the clinic have been hindered by a lack of appropriate methods available to study dementia. A highly promising method is functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). fNIRS is a portable, low-cost, and non-invasive neuroimaging technique which uses near-infrared light to measure brain oxygenation. Having previously obtained funding to purchase a state-of-the art fNIRS system for optical brain monitoring, we will use this grant to aquire further system components to unlock whole-head monitoring. We will use this upgraded system in our upcoming dementia studies to develop biomarkers for dementia for use in the clinic and at the bedside, as well as to better understand spatiotemporal alterations in brain oxygenation in ecologically valid and naturalistic contexts.
| Dr. Gemma Bale |
Department of Engineering |
| Prof. John O'Brien |
Department of Psychiatry |
