Application of near-infrared spectroscopy in clinical neurology

Abstract

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring has been used mainly to detect reduced perfu-sion of the brain during orthostatic stress in order to assess orthostatic intolerance (OI). Many studies have investigated the use of NIRS to reveal the pathophysiology of patients with OI. Research using NIRS in other neurological diseases (e.g., stroke, epilepsy, and migraine) is continuing. NIRS may play an important role in monitoring the regional distribution of the hemo-dynamic flow in real time and thereby reveal the underlying pathophysiology and facilitate the management of not only patients with OI symptoms but also those with various neuro-logical diseases.