PIPages
Labs

Corey Bohil

Lawrence Technological University, MI·Psychology

Watching the brain at work usually means lying still inside a large scanner, which rules out studying people as they drive, shop or talk with each other. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers another option.

Fields

Psychology

Neuroscience

Computer Science

Topics

functional near-infrared spectroscopy

fNIRS

NIRSport2

Grants
1 known grant, through Aug 2027

What they work on

  1. Identify brain activity markers of uncertainty with fNIRS, which tracks blood oxygen in the cortex, to improve understanding of decision making.
  2. Apply machine learning and deep neural networks to fNIRS data to detect high cognitive workload, changing emotional states for brain-computer interfaces, and driver engagement.
  3. Use hyperscanning, simultaneous fNIRS recording of two people, to study neural synchrony during competitive social interactions.
  4. Combine tDCS brain stimulation with fNIRS to test how motor and visual cortex regions contribute to language processing.
  5. Examine prefrontal cortex activity as people respond to advertising, brand novelty and information framing when making purchasing decisions.

More about the research

It shines harmless near-infrared light through the scalp to measure changes in oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood in the brain's outer layer, the cortex, which reflect which regions are active during a task. Because it is portable and non-invasive, fNIRS can be used in more natural settings.

Why it matters

Portable brain imaging could help detect overload or disengagement in settings like driving, improve brain-computer interfaces that respond to emotional states, and clarify how people make decisions under uncertainty or in response to advertising. The work may also inform efforts to support grit and achievement in education.

Known grants

From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.

Research Infrastructure: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system for interdisciplinary cognitive neuroscience

NSF · Sep 2024 – Aug 2027

Closest labs

Paul Regier

University of Pennsylvania, PA·Neuroscience·Early-career

Compare executive-function scores and prefrontal cortex activity, measured with fNIRS (light-based brain imaging), between people with opioid use disorder and healthy controls.

Roxana Burciu

University of Delaware, DE·Neuroscience

Test whether people with Parkinson's disease show altered brain activity during isometric two-handed force tasks compared with healthy older adults, using functional MRI.

Keith Vogt

University of Pittsburgh, PA·Neuroscience

Test whether touching different ear points with von Frey filaments activates distinct regions of the somatosensory and prefrontal cortex in pain-free volunteers, measured with fNIRS, a light-based brain imaging method.

The school

Lawrence Technological University: 3 labs on PI Pages, $8M a year on research.

More about Lawrence Technological University

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