Files and links (1)
PDFOpen Access (License Unspecified), Open Access
Thesis
Development of a versatile wireless fNIR system
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Aug 2011
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-3733
Abstract
Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIR) is a non-invasive, safe and portable method to monitor the brain activity within the prefrontal cortex of the human brain. This technology takes advantage of the principle that light in the near-infrared range (700nm-900nm) can easily pass through skin, bone and other tissues. When light passes through he skull, it interacts with hemoglobin, which acts as a distinct chromophore according to its oxygenation state (oxyhemoglobin or deoxyhemoglobin). The concentration changes of these chromophores can be monitored by measuring how much light is absorbed. Current commercially available fNIR systems require the subject to be in close proximity of the measurement device, this limiting the variety of experiments and conditions under which the subject's brain activity can be monitored. To address this limitation, a versatile wireless version of the fNIR system was developed in order be deployable in a variety of conditions and applications. The developed fNIR system is comprised of three main components: a computing unit, an fNIR device and an fNIR sensor. The computing unit runs the data acquisition software and wirelessly communicates with the fNIR device to control the data collection. The fNIR sensor interfaces with the fNIR device to allow the collection of optical data. A serial communication protocol for controlling the fNIR device was developed and a Zigbee-based wireless communication protocol was implemented to achieve the wireless communication. The performance of the system was evaluated to ascertain proper functionality. The system underwent a series of tests that established its efficacy at recording hemodynamic activity. The resulting prototype paves the way for more flexible experimental designs and applications. These include, but are not limited to, the assessment and monitoring of pediatric pain, the evaluation of therapeutic effects of neuromodulatory treatments such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and detection and monitoring of brain edema.
Metrics
70 File views/ downloads
35 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Development of a versatile wireless fNIR system
- Creators
- Mauricio Rodriguez - DU
- Contributors
- Kambiz Pourrezaei (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 3733; 991014632347704721