/Objectives : Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has emerged as a non-invasive, implant-compatible imaging modality capable of capturing cortical hemodynamics during ecologically valid auditory and linguistic tasks. Its silent operation and tolerance to electrical artifacts make it particularly well suited to the study of hearing-impaired individuals, including cochlear implant (CI) users....
fNIRS shows research promise as an implant-compatible neuroimaging tool for hearing loss populations, but is not yet ready for routine clinical use; no actionable change for practising audiologists.
fNIRS could become a valuable research and eventually clinical tool for understanding cortical plasticity in hearing-impaired and implanted patients, where MRI is often contraindicated.
- 01Systematic review of fNIRS studies across multiple hearing-loss clinical populations.
- 02fNIRS is MRI-compatible alternative for cochlear implant users who cannot safely undergo standard MRI.
- 03Cortical reorganisation patterns differ across populations (e.g., congenital vs. acquired hearing loss).
- 04Highlights gaps in the literature and methodological inconsistencies across studies.
- 05Clinical translation of fNIRS findings to audiological practice remains a future goal.
fNIRS is a viable implant-compatible neuroimaging tool for studying cortical responses in hearing-loss populations.
studysupportedCortical responses to hearing loss differ across distinct clinical populations.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42192844
- DOI
- 10.3390/brainsci16050532.
- Journal
- Brain Sciences
- Publication type
- systematic_review
- Evidence level
- 1a
- Population
- Individuals with hearing loss across distinct clinical populations (e.g., congenital, acquired, cochlear implant users)
- Intervention
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging
Primary outcomes
Cortical responses to hearing loss as measured by fNIRS; Utility of fNIRS as an implant-compatible neuroimaging tool