Table 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of fNIRS

Advantages

Disadvantages

Safe Better spatial resolution than EEG Better temporal resolution than fMRI Tolerance to motion artifacts Possibility to monitor HbO2 and HbR Portability Low cost Silent Availability of miniaturized and wearable systems Suitability for long‐time continuous monitoring Feasibility for multimodal imaging Compatibility with other electrical and magnetic devices More participant friendly than fMRI All participants are eligible (all ages, no exclusion criteria)

Lower temporal resolution than EEG/MEG Lower spatial resolution than fMRI Penetration depth (1.5–2 cm) Impossibility to gather structural images and anatomical information Systemic interferences Variable SNR Optodes placement can be time consuming in case of hairy regions and a high number of sources and detectors Higher susceptibility to motion errors and less comfort in case of high‐coverage measurements with fiber optics coupled to the head Lack of standardization in data analysis