Kalle Kotilahti

Hemodynamic Responses to Speech and Music in Newborn Infants

We used near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to study responses to speech and music on the auditory cortices of 13 healthy full‐term newborn infants during natural sleep. The purpose of the study was to investigate the lateralization of speech and music responses at this stage of development. NIRS data was recorded from eight positions on both hemispheres simultaneously with electroencephalography, electrooculography, electrocardiography, pulse oximetry, and inclinometry. In 11 subjects, statistically significant (P < 0.02) oxygenated (HbO2) and total hemoglobin (HbT) responses were recorded. Both stimulus types elicited significant HbO2 and HbT responses on both hemispheres in five subjects. Six of the 11 subjects had positive HbO2 and HbT responses to both stimulus types, whereas one subject had negative responses. Mixed positive and negative responses were observed in four neonates. On both hemispheres, speech and music responses were significantly correlated (r = 0.64; P = 0.018 on the left hemisphere (LH) and r = 0.60; P = 0.029 on the right hemisphere (RH)). On the group level, the average response to the speech stimuli was statistically significantly greater than zero in the LH, whereas responses on the RH or to the music stimuli did not differ significantly from zero. This suggests a more coherent response to speech on the LH. However, significant differences in lateralization of the responses or mean response amplitudes of the two stimulus types were not observed on the group level. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010.

Instrumentation and calibration methods for the multichannel measurement of phase and amplitude in optical tomography

In this article, we describe the multichannel implementation of an intensity modulated optical tomography system developed at Helsinki University of Technology. The system has two time-multiplexed wavelengths, 16 time-multiplexed source fibers and 16 parallel detection channels. The gain of the photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) is individually adjusted during the measurement sequence to increase the dynamic range of the system by 104. The PMT used has a high quantum efficiency in the near infrared (8% at 800nm), a fast settling time, and low hysteresis. The gain of the PMT is set so that the dc anode current is below 80nA, which allows the measurement of phase independently of the intensity. The system allows measurements of amplitude at detected intensities down to 1fW, which is sufficient for transmittance measurements of the female breast, the forearm, and the brain of early pre-term infants. The mean repeatability of phase and the logarithm of amplitude (lnA) at 100MHz were found to be 0.08° and 0.004, res...

Instrumentation for the accurate measurement of phase and amplitude in optical tomography

A single-channel prototype for a frequency-domain optical tomography system is presented. The two main goals in the design of the system were the measurement of phase with minimal systematic errors and a high enough signal-to-noise ratio to detect the small changes in the absorption of brain tissue during brain activity. Although the system inherently is an imaging system, the aspects of the system that relate to multichannel operation will be published separately, as this part of the system is not yet finished. The instrument is described in detail, including the radio-frequency system, the light detection system, and the light source. Factors that affect the accuracy of the measured phase include phase drift, radio-frequency coupling between the source and detector electronics, phase-amplitude cross talk, and others. To increase the range of intensities that can be measured, the gain of the detector is adjusted while keeping the mean anode current small compared with the quiescent current through the vo...

Comparison between a time-domain and a frequency-domain system for optical tomography

The quality of phase and amplitude data from two medical optical tomography systems were compared. The two systems are a 32-channel time-domain system developed at University College London (UCL) and a 16-channel frequency-domain system developed at Helsinki University of Technology (HUT). Difference data measured from an inhomogeneous and a homogeneous phantom were compared with a finite-element method (diffusion equation) and images of scattering and absorption were reconstructed based on it. The measurements were performed at measurement times between 1 and 30 s per source. The mean rms errors in the data measured by the HUT system were 3.4% for amplitude and 0.51 deg for phase, while the corresponding values for the UCL data were 6.0% and 0.46 deg, respectively. The reproducibility of the data measured with the two systems was tested with a measurement time of 5 s per source. It was 0.4% in amplitude for the HUT system and 4% for the UCL system, and 0.08 deg in phase for both systems. The image quality of the reconstructions from the data measured with the two systems were compared with several quantitative criteria. In general a higher contrast was observed in the images calculated from the HUT data.

Near-infrared spectroscopic imaging of stimulus-related hemodynamic responses on the neonatal auditory cortices.

We have used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to study hemodynamic auditory evoked responses on 7 full-term neonates. Measurements were done simultaneously above both auditory cortices to study the distribution of speech and music processing between hemispheres using a 16-channel frequency-domain instrument. The stimulation consisted of 5-second samples of music and speech with a 25-second silent interval. In response to stimulation, a significant increase in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin ([HbO2]) was detected in 6 out of 7 subjects. The strongest responses in [HbO2] were seen near the measurement location above the ear on both hemispheres. The mean latency of the maximum responses was 9.42±1.51 s. On the left hemisphere (LH), the maximum amplitude of the average [HbO2] response to the music stimuli was 0.76± 0.38 μ M (mean±std.) and to the speech stimuli 1.00± 0.45 μ± μM. On the right hemisphere (RH), the maximum amplitude of the average [HbO2] response was 1.29± 0.85 μM to the music stimuli and 1.23± 0.93 μM to the speech stimuli. The results indicate that auditory information is processed on both auditory cortices, but LH is more concentrated to process speech than music information. No significant differences in the locations and the latencies of the maximum responses relative to the stimulus type were found.

Simultaneous diffuse near-infrared imaging of hemodynamic and oxygenation changes and electroencephalographic measurements of neuronal activity in the human brain

Visually evoked hemodynamic responses and potentials were simultaneously measured using a 16-channel optical imaging instrument and a 60-channel electroencephalography instrument during normo-, hypo- and hypercapnia from three subjects. Flashing and pattern-reversed checkerboard stimuli were used. The study protocol included two counterbalanced measurements during both normo- and hypocapnia and normo- and hypercapnia. Hypocapnia was produced by controlled hyperventilation and hypercapnia by breathing carbon dioxide enriched air. Near-infrared imaging was also used to monitor the concentration changes of oxy- and deoxyhaemoglobin due to hypo- and hypercapnia. Hemodynamic responses and evoked potentials were successfully detected for each subject above the visual cortex. The latencies of the hemodynamic responses during hypocapnia were shorter whereas during hypercapnia they were longer when compared to the latencies during normocapnia. Hypocapnia tended to decrease the latencies of visually evoked potentials compared to those during normocapnia while hypercapnia did not show any consistent effect to the potentials. The developed measurement setup and the study protocol provide the opportunity to investigate the neurovascular coupling and the links between the baseline level of blood flow, electrical activity and hemodynamic responses in the human brain.

Auditory hemodynamic studies of newborn infants using near-infrared spectroscopic imaging

The noninvasive study of tissue blood volume and oxygenation using near-infrared light is a new and actively developing technology. We have used near-infrared spectroscopic imaging (NIRSI) to study hemodynamic responses on the auditory cortices evoked by auditory stimulation. Ten healthy newborn infants were studied. The otoacoustic emission hearing test was performed for each infant. Pulse oximetry was used to monitor the heart rate during the measurement, video recording was used to monitor motion artifacts, and the eye movements were noted in order to determine sleep stage. A 16-channel frequency-domain optical imaging system developed in our laboratory was used for NIRSI measurements. The stimuli were presented in trains of seven 1 kHz beeps with 700-ms inter-stimulus intervals. The stimulus trains were separated by 25-s silent periods in order to allow for the hemodynamic delay. In 3/8 cases, we obtained a clear bilateral increase in [HbO/sub 2/], and in two additional cases, a clear response on one hemisphere. The mean change in [HbO/sub 2/] was +0.9/spl plusmn/0.9/spl mu/M and the mean change in [Hb] was -0.3/spl plusmn/0.4/spl mu/M for those channels producing the largest response for each subject. No statistically significant response was found in 3/8 cases.

Optical topographic studies of adults and neonates

We used a four-channel intensity-modulated near-infrared spectroscopy device to study the hemodynamic responses due to brain activation in adults and neonates. The stimuli included finger tapping, tickling of the heel, and auditory stimuli. The subjects included two adults and ten neonates of age between 0.5 and 4 days. A block paradigm was used in the studies, and responses were successfully obtained from both subject groups.

An application of perturbation Monte Carlo in optical tomography

Haemodynamic changes related to activation of the human visual cortex were studied using optical imaging. The change in oxyhaemoglobin concentration in the visual cortex was estimated using a perturbation Monte Carlo (pMC) method. Comparison to a topographic map obtained using the modified Beer-Lambert law and interpolation is given

Multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy on the human forehead during hypo- and hypercapnia

Cerebral blood flow and oxygenation changes during different levels of hypo- and hypercapnia were successfully monitored on the human forehead using a multi-channel frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy. Optical signals correlate well with simultaneously recorded gas measurements.