Diffuse Optical Tomography Provides a High Sensitivity at the Sensory-Motor Gyri: A Functional Region of Interest Approach

Abstract

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) technology enables a differentiation between oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) in the sensory and motor cerebral gyri, resulting in greater sensitivity for cerebral activation compared to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Here, we introduce a novel approach where functional regions of interest (ROIs) are created based on the specific signal behavior observed in DOT measurements in contrast to the conventional use of structural-ROI obtained from anatomical information. The generation of cerebral activation maps involves using the general linear model (GLM) to compare the outcomes obtained from both the functional and structural-ROI approaches. DOT-derived maps are then compared with maps derived from fMRI datasets, which are considered the gold standard for assessing functional brain activity. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of employing functional-ROI to improve the spatial location of functional activations in the sensory and motor cerebral gyri by leveraging the neural synchronization data provided by DOT. Furthermore, this methodology simplifies data processing, where anatomical differences can pose challenges. By incorporating functional-ROI prior to GLM application, this study offers enhancements to DOT analysis techniques and broadens its applicability.