Towards Ecological Measurement of Complex Cognitive Processes: Functional-Near Infrared Spectroscopy of Brain Activity During Reading

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has provided unparalleled insights into the fundamental neural mechanisms governing human cognition, including complex processes such as reading. Here, we leverage the wealth of prior fMRI work to capture reading outside the MRI scanner using functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS). In a large sample of participants (n = 82) we observe significant prefrontal and temporal fNIRS activations during reading, which are largely reliable across participants, therefore providing a robust validation of prior fMRI work on reading-related language processing. These results lay the groundwork towards developing adaptive systems capable of assisting these higher-level processes, for example to support readers and language learners. This work also contributes to bridging the gap between laboratory findings and real-world applications in the realm of cognitive neuroscience.