Minagawa-Kawai, Y., Mori, K., Hebden, J., and Dupoux, E. (in press)
Optical imaging of infants’ neurocognitive development: recent advances and perspectives
Journal of Neurobiology.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides a unique method of monitoring infant brain function
 by measuring changes in the concentrations of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin. During 
 the past ten years, near-infrared spectroscopic measurement of the developing brain has rapidly 
 expanded. In this paper, a brief discussion of the general principles of NIRS, including its 
 technical advantages and limitations, is followed by a detailed review of the role played so far 
 by NIRS in the study of infant perception and cognition, including language, and visual and 
 auditory functions. Results have highlighted in particular the developmental changes of cerebral 
 asymmetry associated with speech acquisition. Finally, suggestions for future studies of neurocognitive 
 development using NIRS are presented. Although NIRS studies of the infant brain have yet to fulfil 
 their potential, a review of the work done so far indicates that NIRS is likely to provide many unique 
 insights in the field of developmental neuroscience.