功能近红外光谱技术（functional near-infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS）是一种较为新兴的非侵入性的经颅脑成像技术，可以弥补和拓展其他传统脑成像技术的应用场景。其生态效度高、便携、价格低的特点使其在语言相关的研究中拥有独特的优势，现如今已被广泛地运用于儿童、特殊病人及一些不适合用功能性磁共振成像（functional magnetic resonance imaging，fMRI）进行研究的特殊范式上。以往的成人fNIRS研究已经在双语语言机制、语言偏侧化、语音、语调处理机制等方面做出了探索，另外在失语症、肌萎缩侧索硬化（amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS）等病人和认知老化的机制上也涌现了一批探索性研究。这些研究的发表证明了fNIRS技术有足够的敏感性和可用性来助力语言神经机制的研究。但作为一种经颅技术，语言领域的研究者在使用该技术的过程中无可避免地面临着事先定位和事后定位的困难。事先定位要求研究者在实验开始前解决如何从颅骨定位语言区并设计和放置光极板的问题；事后定位则要求研究者确定佩戴在个体被试颅骨空间的光极时候测量到了目标脑区。

传统方法通常使用MRI或者10-20系统来解决定位问题，但两者在可获得性和精确性上各有缺陷。而新提出的经颅脑图谱（transcranial brain atlas，TBA）和功能经颅脑图谱（functional transcranial brain atlas，fTBA）提供了一种平衡了使用成本和精确性的方法。对于一些由于使用的时间和经济成本或者无法获得MRI成像数据的特殊被试群体研究，同为解决定位问题的便捷方法，fTBA可以比传统10-20系统提供更精确的颅脑对应来解决定位问题。

随着人们对大脑语言功能区分布的认识加深，研究者将希望在研究中定位到更精细的脑区或者尽量覆盖语言脑网络的多个目标脑区，在面临这些场景时，fTBA将能够发挥更大的价值。为了使用fNIRS开展语言脑机制研究的研究者能够使用到fTBA这一高效便捷的定位问题解决工具，本研究在以下方面做出了工作：

首先，在一些fNIRS技术有优势的研究领域，本研究首次制作了一批语言功能的经颅脑图谱。使用激活可能性估计（activation likelihood estimation, ALE）元分析荟萃之前语言功能的功能核磁共振脑成像（functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI）结果呈现在连续颅骨坐标系统（continuous proportional coordinate system，CPC）上，本研究得到了几个fNIRS技术有优势或有潜在应用前景的几类语言功能的经颅图谱。

之后，本研究还对语言功能经颅图谱的参考价值进行了实验验证。根据制作出的经颅图谱设计并制作了fNIRS实验需要的光极板，用该光极板采集了一定数量被试在完成相应语言任务时的血氧活动。实验结果发现语言功能经颅图谱所标示的脑区在任务中出现了更强的血氧响应。这表示语言功能经颅脑图谱在fNIRS实验中可以有效地指导光极板的制作，是帮助实验人员解决定位问题的有效工具。

此外，在语言功能图谱的应用上，本研究还依据真实的实验中的噪声数据总结了语言任务引起噪声在图谱所示脑区的空间分布，以期能帮助后来的研究者更有效地开展光极板设计和实验设计工作。

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), as a rather newly-emerged low cost and portable non-invasive imaging technique with high ecological validity, has been widely used in researching on the neural mechanism of language functions, especially when special subjects such as children and other participants who are not suitable for fMRI imaging are involved. In the past few decades, this technique has been showing great potential as not only a research tool of cortical cognitive studies but also an aid of bio-medical application. However, to image the underlying target brain areas, optodes have to be placed on participants’ scalp. Thus, the researchers have to face the challenge of locating language related cortex target areas from the scalp without direct witness of that target.

Traditionally, MRI and 10-20 system have been recruited to meet the challenge., but they respectively face some difficulties in terms of availability and accuracy. Newly-proposed method using TBA or fTBA has offer a way to balance use-cost and accuracy. When MRI data is not available, fTBA can provide more accurate cranial-cortical mapping.

As we gaining more knowledge on neural mechanism of language functions, researchers tend to target more accurate brain area or target multiple area involved in the neural networks of language functions. Under such circumstances, fTBA would be a much more effective tool. In order to provide such tool for researchers, this study has worked in several aspects listed below:

Firstly, this study has for the first time created several fTBAs for some language functions in which fNIRS can work as a more appropriate way to do research in. By presenting activation likelihood estimation(ALE) meta-analysis results on an newly-established continuous proportional coordinate system for scalp space, several language-fTBAs have been successfully established.

Then real fNIRS experiments was carried out using languge-fTBAs to validate the practical value of those languge-fTBAs. Using probe panel created under the reference of fTBAs, oxygen responses caused by brain activities have been recorded on a group of participants doing language related tasks. The results show that brian areas marked by language-fTBAs show higher blood oxygen activities than other areas, which proved that fTBAs can efficiently help researchers locate language areas from scalp space.

Besides, the research has also summarized some typical noises researchers may encountered during real fNIRS-Language experiments, which may help them design probe panel and experiment in a more efficiently way.