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. 2021 Apr 15;42(6):1657-1669.
doi: 10.1002/hbm.25318. Epub 2020 Dec 17.

Transcranial brain atlas-based optimization for functional near-infrared spectroscopy optode arrangement: Theory, algorithm, and application

Yang Zhao  1 , Xiang Xiao  1   2 , Yi-Han Jiang  1 , Pei-Pei Sun  1 , Zong Zhang  1 , Yi-Long Gong  1 , Zheng Li  3   4   5 , Chao-Zhe Zhu  1   4   5
Affiliations

Transcranial brain atlas-based optimization for functional near-infrared spectroscopy optode arrangement: Theory, algorithm, and application

Yang Zhao et al. Hum Brain Mapp. .

Abstract

The quality of optode arrangement is crucial for group imaging studies when using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Previous studies have demonstrated the promising effectiveness of using transcranial brain atlases (TBAs), in a manual and intuition-based way, to guide optode arrangement when individual structural MRI data are unavailable. However, the theoretical basis of using TBA to optimize optode arrangement remains unclear, which leads to manual and subjective application. In this study, we first describe the theoretical basis of TBA-based optimization of optode arrangement using a mathematical framework. Second, based on the theoretical basis, an algorithm is proposed for automatically arranging optodes on a virtual scalp. The resultant montage is placed onto the head of each participant guided by a low-cost and portable navigation system. We compared our method with the widely used 10/20-system-assisted optode arrangement procedure, using finger-tapping and working memory tasks as examples of both low- and high-level cognitive systems. Performance, including optode montage designs, locations on each participant's scalp, brain activation, as well as ground truth indices derived from individual MRI data were evaluated. The results give convergent support for our method's ability to provide more accurate, consistent and efficient optode arrangements for fNIRS group imaging than the 10/20 method.

Keywords: fNIRS; functional near-infrared spectroscopy; navigation; optode arrangement; optode montage design; optode placement; topography; transcranial brain atlas.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Relationship between location variability in scalp space and brain space. (a) Representative scalp locations (yellow dots) and their corresponding brain projections (red dots) of Np = 20 participants, which are displayed on the MNI152 head template with overlayed continuous proportional coordinates (CPCs) (blue grid). (b) Correlation between variability in scalp space and brain space. Different colored curves represent different numbers of participants (Np) used in evaluating the relationship
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
(a) CPC100 (blue dots) measured on the surface of the Chinese2020 scalp template. (b) GIA^s* map of precentral gyrus given by transcranial brain atlas (TBA) (automatic anatomical labeling [AAL]) and displayed on the scalp surface. (c) GIA^s* map of precentral and postcentral gyri. (d) Effective scalp locations (GIA^s*>0.5) for the precentral (green) and postcentral (red) gyri
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Flowchart of the optimization procedure. (i) Parameter space Ω(x, θ) of spatial constraints, which includes centers (green dots) and orientations (black arrows). (ii–vii) Optode arrangement procedure under one spatial constraint xi, θj (black grid). A seed channel (green line) formed by a source (blue dot) and a detector (red dot) is first aligned to the center of the grid (iii). Sources and detectors are alternatively added to the locations around the placed optodes to maximize the objective function (iii–vi) until no more optodes remain (vii). The value of the objective function fsxiθj is mapped to the parameter space Ω(x, θ)
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Optode montage placement on a participant's scalp guided by a scalp navigation system. (a) GUI of the navigation system. Automatically arranged optodes are displayed on a virtual head model. (b) Optode montage placement on a physical head model guided by the digitizer
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Representative automatically‐found arrangements on a virtual typical scalp (Chinese 2020 scalp template)
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Comparison of transcranial brain atlas (TBA)‐ and 10/20‐based optode arrangement and placement results
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Comparison of task activations measured by montages placed using transcranial brain atlas (TBA)‐based or 10/20‐based methods. Beta values are depicted on the cortical surface of the Colin 27 brain template. Red arrows point to effective channels depicting stronger effects from the TBA‐based method compared to the 10/20‐based method
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Comparison of the sensitivity produced by transcranial brain atlas (TBA)‐based and 10/20‐based optode arrangement methods
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