Abstract
This is the first report to demonstrate quantitative monitoring of infant brain development with frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy (FD-NIRS). Regionally specific increases in blood volume and oxygen consumption were measured in healthy infants during their first year. The results agree with prior PET and SPECT reports; but, unlike these methods, FD-NIRS is portable and uses nonionizing radiation. Further, new information includes the relatively constant tissue oxygenation with age and location, suggesting a tight control between local oxygen delivery and consumption in healthy infants during brain development. FD-NIRS could become the preferred clinical tool for quantitatively assessing infant brain development.
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Abbreviations
- CBF:
-
cerebral blood flow
- CBV:
-
cerebral blood volume
- CMRO2:
-
cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen
- FD:
-
frequency-domain
- HbT:
-
total hemoglobin concentration
- HGB:
-
hemoglobin concentration in the blood
- NIRS:
-
near-infrared spectroscopy
- StO2:
-
tissue oxygen saturation
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Pamela Almeida, Tina Chaves, Shalini Nadgir, Eleni Themelis, Teresa Wilcox, Eric Wruck, Weicheng Wu, and all the nurses in the NICU and Step Down clinics at MGH for the help and support with data collection. We also thank Gary Boas, Elizabeth Warren, and Sarah Barnett for helpful comments, and Theodore Huppert for assistance with data analysis. This work was also made possible through the inspiration and generous support of George Cowan.
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Supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health grant no. RO1-HD42908 (MAF) and no. K23 NS42758 (PEG).
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Franceschini, M., Thaker, S., Themelis, G. et al. Assessment of Infant Brain Development With Frequency-Domain Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Pediatr Res 61, 546–551 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1203/pdr.0b013e318045be99
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/pdr.0b013e318045be99
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