Is the next frontier for hyperscanning multimodal? 👨‍👧✨ Hong et al. present a practical guide combining dual fNIRS, ECG, and behavioural video into one synchronised workflow, enabling richer insights into caregiver-child synchrony than any single modality alone. 📖 doi.org/10.3758/s134...

Programming recruits different brain systems over time. 💻 Using fNIRS, Huang et al. showed that code comprehension begins with language networks before shifting towards executive and mathematical systems, revealing the dynamic neural foundations of coding. doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

Children don't interact with AI the same way when a parent is nearby. 🤖 Using fNIRS, Kim et al. found stronger right prefrontal activation during AI-only storytelling, while parent co-presence reduced this response, offering new insight into child-AI interaction. doi.org/10.1080/1044...

What shapes neural synchrony during negotiation? 🤝 Balconi et al. used fNIRS hyperscanning to show that conversational roles, personality traits, and decision-making styles all influence inter-brain synchronisation during cooperative decision-making. doi.org/10.3390/brai...

Brain stimulation affects far more than the motor cortex. ⚡ Combining TMS + fNIRS, Iester et al. found that interhemispheric inhibition extends beyond M1 to prefrontal, premotor, parietal, + temporal regions, revealing the network-level effects of focal brain stimulation. doi.org/10.1016/j.cl...

🚨 Last Call! fNIRS Hyperscanning Workshop | Aug 3–4 @ USC LA Hands-on, expert-led, practical insights. 🔗 Register: bit.ly/3ZwGWOh

Thinking about life's endpoint changes more than perspective. ⏳ Xiao et al. used fNIRS to show stronger left prefrontal-temporal activation and connectivity during endpoint-focused thinking, linking mortality awareness with shifts in time perception and decision-making. doi.org/10.1016/j.ac...

🚶 Can fNIRS support motor rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease? Klein et al. (2026) demonstrated the feasibility of neurofeedback-guided motor imagery training, highlighting the potential of #fNIRS for non-pharmacological rehabilitation approaches. 📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This new pilot study suggests rsfNIRS can detect rapid neural responses to psychological intervention. 🌿 After a single ACT session, children with ADHD showed increased right prefrontal HbO variability, supporting fNIRS for monitoring short-term treatment effects. 📖 doi.org/10.3390/brai...

Can VR help learn a new language more effectively? 🌍 Amadi et al. (2026) used #fNIRS to compare Arabic learning in #VR and traditional classrooms. VR learners showed stronger activation across language networks and greater gains in productive language performance. 📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.yn...

A critical window for language development may be measured in months, not years. 👶 Longitudinal #fNIRS found changing PFC responses to familiar and unfamiliar dialects between 4 and 6 months, showing rapid neural reorganisation during early language acquisition. 📖

Neural reorganization of dialect perception within a critical two-month window in infancy: A longitudinal fNIRS study

Infants are sensitive to linguistic variation from early in life, yet little is known about whether closely related language varieties elicit differen…

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Stage Fright vs Neurofeedback!? 🎻 Borges et al. (2026) developed a school-based #fNIRS #neurofeedback protocol using #TurboSatori software, demonstrating feasibility and progressive prefrontal self-regulation in adolescent performers. 📖 doi.org/10.3389/fpsy...

Frontiers | From concept to proof: developing a neurofeedback-fNIRS protocol to train self-regulation for music performance anxiety in adolescent musicians

IntroductionMusic Performance Anxiety (MPA) is a prevalent phenomenon among young musicians, affecting both well-being and artistic performance. Despite its ...

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💭Can AI detect when the mind starts to wander? Ishtiaq et al. (2026) combined fNIRS, EGG, and EMG to identify self-induced daydreaming with 90.77% accuracy. The study also found that post-meal states reduced daydream frequency and duration. 📖 doi.org/10.1002/cns.... #fNIRS #Neuroscience #AI

AI‐Driven Hemodynamic Detection of Self‐Induced Daydreaming With EMG‐Based Physiological Triggers During Pre‐ and Post‐Prandial States Using fNIRS and EGG

(A) Problem analysis and its consequences: In a non-DD State, chewing motor activity increases and brain cognitive activity decreases and in a DD State, chewing motor activity reduces and brain…

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A combined TCD-NIRS approach may help broaden the study of neurovascular coupling in clinical populations. 🧠📡 Edwards et al. (2026) showed feasibility in depression and dementia cohorts, supporting multimodal bedside haemodynamic monitoring. Read more here: doi.org/10.1016/j.jn...

Meditation or social media before an exam? 🧘‍♀️📱 Black et al. (2026) show that 3 mins of meditation boosts scores, but social media scrolling significantly impairs performance! 📉 fNIRS revealed rapid neural shifts in the PFC and language networks. 📖 doi.org/10.3390/ijcs...

What happens when immersive VR meets multimodal neuroimaging? 🕶️ Asché et al. paired a virtual office email task with fNIRS, eye tracking and actigraphy to examine attention and medication effects in ADHD, highlighting the value of ecologically valid experimental environments.

Multimodal Virtual Reality Assessment of Medication Effects in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Its Distinction From Depression: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Over the past 2 decades, virtual reality–based neuropsychological tasks have gained traction as tools for objectively assessing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…

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New paper alert! 🔬 Luo et al. (2026) present a framework for higher-order functional connectivity (HOFC) in #fNIRS. Using triangle-level co-fluctuations, they achieved significantly higher individual identifiability than pairwise connectivity. 📖 doi.org/10.1364/BOE....

Different #acupuncture manipulations produce distinct brain responses. 🪡 Qu et al. (2026) show #fNIRS activation in prefrontal and somatosensory cortex, with stronger responses from tonifying and complex techniques. 📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.jo...

⚡️In this new paper, Jin et al. (2026) show that fNIRS-measured dlPFC responses to iTBS vary with current #depression symptoms and prior episodes. Post-stimulation signals may index recurrence risk, offering a potential biomarker for vulnerability. 📖 doi.org/10.1111/pcn....

How does the brain support precise hand movements? 🖐️ Toriyama et al. (2026) show increased prefrontal and #sensorimotor activation during peg manipulation tasks measured with #fNIRS, with stronger prefrontal responses linked to higher manual dexterity. 📖 doi.org/10.1007/s002...

How does endurance training reshape pain processing? 🚴 Geisler et al. used fNIRS during high-intensity cycling to compare athletes and non-athletes. Only athletes showed reduced pain after exercise, linked to changes in PFC brain activity during painful stimulation. 📖 doi.org/10.1113/JP28...

Can regular exercise change how we experience negative emotions? 🏃‍♀️ Wang and Zhou (2026) report lower negative emotional reactivity in habitual exercisers, with fNIRS suggesting more efficient prefrontal processing during emotion elicitation. 📖 doi.org/10.3390/brai... #fNIRS #MentalHealth

Adapting how we walk becomes more efficient with practice. 🚶‍♀️ Yoshida et al. (2026) show, using #fNIRS, that cortical activation and arousal peak early in split-belt walking, then decrease across repetitions, reflecting coordinated CNS–ANS adaptation. doi.org/10.1007/s002...

🚀 Deep Dive into fNIRS Hyperscanning 🗓 Aug 3–4 | 📍 USC, Los Angeles Hands-on, 2-day workshop with experts Dr. Hendrik Santosa & Dr. Shannon Burns. 🔗 Register: bit.ly/3ZwGWOh

⏱️ In this new multimodal study, Burma et al. (2026) show that EEG and fNIRS signals predict arterial blood flow, supporting feedforward neurovascular coupling. Multimodal imaging reveals integrated brain dynamics. 📖 Read more here: doi.org/10.3390/s260...

Fahrudin et al. (2026) find preference, not calories, drives brain responses. 🥤 In this new fNIRS study, there was a similar PFC activation for regular and light foods, but stronger signals in individuals who like them more. 📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...

Optimising image reconstruction in high-density #fNIRS 💡 Carlton et al. (2026) optimise surface DOT for high-density arrays, showing trade-offs between crosstalk, contrast, and localisation. Indirect Hb reconstruction improves signal separation. Read more here: doi.org/10.1117/1.NP...

Early language experience may shape auditory development. 👂 Svoboda et al. (2026) show that children with cochlear implants who have sign language exposure have stronger auditory cortex responses. fNIRS reveals cross-modal effects in developing language systems.

Limited cross-modal activation to visual language in the auditory cortices of hearing-impaired children

What predicts spoken language outcomes in hearing-impaired children has been insufficiently understood, particularly with respect to cross-modal neura…

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Decoding individual finger movements with #fNIRS remains a challenge ✋🧠 Khan et al. (2026) introduce an open dataset to support Machine Learning approaches for fine motor #BCI, enabling reproducible pipelines.

Frontiers | Open access individual finger movement dataset with fNIRS

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging modality with an acceptable spatial and temporal resolution that enables continuous, non-inva...

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Language networks may start organising even before birth. 🌱🤰 Mandl et al. show asymmetry of the foetal superior temporal sulcus predicts neonatal speech responses measured with fNIRS. Results link prenatal cortical development + early functional language specialisation. 📖 doi.org/10.1093/brai...