Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2021, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (11): 1799-1804.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.3078

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Application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy in the study of depression

Wang Liqun1, Li Yuxi1, Jin Rongjiang1, Wang Wenchun2, Pang Richao2, Zhang Anren2     

  1. 1College of Health and Rehabilitation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, Sichuan Province, China; 2Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu 610083, Sichuan Province, China
  • Received:2020-04-07 Revised:2020-04-13 Accepted:2020-05-17 Online:2021-04-18 Published:2020-12-22
  • Contact: Zhang Anren, Professor, Chief physician, Doctoral supervisor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu 610083, Sichuan Province, China
  • About author:Wang Liqun, Master candidate, College of Health and Rehabilitation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, Sichuan Province, China
  • Supported by:
    the National Key Research and Development Plan of China, No. 2019YFC1710302 (to JRJ)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The current diagnosis and study of depression lacks objective biological indicators. As an emerging non-invasive brain functional imaging technology, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) may be a potential biomarker for the identification and diagnosis of depression.
OBJECTIVE: To review the application of fNIRS technique in depression research and provide guidance for clinical research.
METHODS: The keywords were “functional near-infrared spectroscopy, oxyhemoglobins, prefrontal cortex, depressive disorder.” The first author searched CNKI, WanFang, VIP, PuMed and Web of Science database from 1996 to 2020 in Chinese and English. Finally, 50 literatures were selected for review.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: fNIRS signal may be a potential biomarker for depression. fNIRS technology is mainly used to study the cognitive dysfunction of depression based on the frontal lobe hemodynamic changes, which can be used for the differential diagnosis of depression. However, the current research on fNIRS is still in the exploratory stage, and there are still some defects in the existing research, which need to be further optimized and deepened in the future research. It can increase the study sample size and monitoring indicators, and integrate fNIRS with other technologies to improve the temporal and spatial resolution, so as to study the neural mechanism of depression systematically, comprehensively and accurately.


Key words: functional near-infrared spectroscopy, oxyhemoglobins, prefrontal cortex, depressive disorder, brain, review

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