fNIRS Studies of Individuals with Speech and Language Impairment Underreport Sociodemographics: A Systematic Review

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising tool for scientific discovery and clinical application. However, its utility depends upon replicable reporting. We evaluate reporting of sociodemographics in fNIRS studies of speech and language impairment and asked the following: (1) Do r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuropsychology review 2024-09, Vol.34 (3), p.860-881
Main Authors: Girolamo, Teresa, Butler, Lindsay, Canale, Rebecca, Aslin, Richard N., Eigsti, Inge-Marie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Gender
Humans
Infrared spectroscopy
Language
Language disorders
Language Disorders - diagnosis
Neurology
Neuropsychology
Neurosciences
Review
Sociodemographics
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared - methods
Spectrum analysis
Speech
Speech Disorders - diagnosis
Systematic review
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising tool for scientific discovery and clinical application. However, its utility depends upon replicable reporting. We evaluate reporting of sociodemographics in fNIRS studies of speech and language impairment and asked the following: (1) Do refereed fNIRS publications report participant sociodemographics? (2) For what reasons are participants excluded from analysis? This systematic review was preregistered with PROSPERO (CRD42022342959) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. Searches in August 2022 included the terms: (a) fNIRS or functional near-infrared spectroscopy or NIRS or near-infrared spectroscopy, (b) speech or language, and (c) disorder or impairment or delay. Searches yielded 38 qualifying studies from 1997 to present. Eight studies (5%) reported at least partial information on race or ethnicity. Few studies reported SES (26%) or language background (47%). Most studies reported geographic location (100%) and gender/sex (89%). Underreporting of sociodemographics in fNIRS studies of speech and language impairment hinders the generalizability of findings. Replicable reporting is imperative for advancing the utility of fNIRS.
ISSN:1040-7308
1573-6660
1573-6660
DOI:10.1007/s11065-023-09618-y