Analysis of uraniscolalia using fNIRS as optical functional brain imaging

• Project/Area Number: 16K12927
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Takagi Ritsuo 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 教授 (20143795)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山村 健介 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 教授 (90272822) ; 児玉 泰光 新潟大学, 医歯学総合病院, 講師 (90419276) ; 大湊 麗 新潟大学, 医歯学総合病院, 特任助教 (90648289)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,510,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥810,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: 口蓋裂 / ｆNIRS / 鼻咽腔閉鎖機能 / 構音障害 / 開鼻声 / ｆＮＩＲＳ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

From the information collection and preliminary analysis using this research grant, we confirmed the following. The standard task was set up aiming at application in patients with cleft palate. However, it was difficult to accurately record nasopharyngeal atresia as initially predicted, as measured in non-cleft (adult) cases. Next, I reviewed the standard task fundamentally. However, the results were the same. From the above, it was suggested that it is difficult to evaluate the organic, structural, functional and individual differences in nasopharyngeal closure function and nasal dissemination using fNIRS.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

fNIRSは運動時に賦活化される大脳皮質部位と活性化のタイミングを高い時間分解能で計測でき、自然な姿勢での動作時脳活動計測に優れ、被験者の拘束性が低い事、再現性が高い事、検査に協力が得られにくい症例（小児や乳児、有病者など）でその有効性が高いとされていたが、標準タスクを設定して実際にfNIRSを用いて計測を試みたところ、非口蓋裂の成人における同一被験者でも、脳活動の可視化が困難で、再現性の確保には程遠い結果となった。以上のことから、器質的、構造的、機能的および個体差の影響が強い鼻咽腔閉鎖機能および開鼻声に代表される口蓋裂言語を本方法で評価することは困難であることが示唆された。