Understanding What Near Infrared Spectroscopy Is All About

by

Alexa Anderson

The NIRS is a non-invasive method for brain function imaging. There are other related modalities such as the NIRI (near infrared imaging), DOI (diffuse optical imaging) and OT (optical topography). It is a measurement of wavelengths as well as intensity of the absorption of the near infrared light from a sample. The infrared light can excite overtones and combinations for molecular vibrations to higher levels.

The technology works by exploiting the capacity of near infrared light to breach biological tissues but it can still be detected upon remission. Based on this principle, the infrared light is focused on the scalp through a high peak laser diode that is channeled through the head by fiber optic cables. When it is already within the tissues, the photons are scattered and they could take irregular paths that can be lengthy.The scattering of photos will eventually assume a constant pace to cover the entire cortical surface. The loss of light levels (in emitters and detectors) is a fraction of light absorption that happens within the tissue.Primarily, the first application of near infrared spectroscopy is the detection of hemoglobin concentration alterations via the principle of transmission-absorption of the NIR light within the body tissues. If a portion of the brain is activated, the volume of blood going to that area will change as soon as it happens. The optical imaging can then measure the location and activity inherent to the specific region of the brain by constantly monitoring hemoglobin levels. This can be done through the identification of optical absorption coefficients.There are various applications of near infrared technology. It includes the analysis of food and drug substances as well as in the physics and chemistry field. It also plays a major role in the astronomical spectroscopy. Remote monitoring is also one application that will enable remote studying of plants and soils, where data can be gathered through the use of specialized instruments found on planes and satellites to examine the ground cover and chemistry. As we all know near infrared transmission and absorption is done at the body tissues. Therefore, we can conclude that the technology also plays a major role in medicine and related fields. It is a form of a non-invasive approach to determine hemoglobin concentrations in the blood.

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