583 - Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (FNIRS)

Aston University has completed the procurement of 1 x Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (FNIRS).

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (FNIRS) equipment is used to measure blood oxygen changes in the brain. This equipment will be available to use for researchers, as well as being useable by MSc students for the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience course. It can also be used as a teaching practical within this module. The equipment will be used alongside additional measures for neuroscientific research.

It can essentially be used as a more basic fMRI, which also measures blood oxygen levels in the brain. It is used alongside experimental designs to identify the functions of different structures within the brain. An FNIR, is a more basic version, however is much more cost efficient, as well as being much more accessible. As the FNIR is a portable machine, it can be moved to suit the researchers needs. This means it can be used within the Psychology Labs, or can be moved to the ABC or ALIVE labs, should a student or researcher require access.