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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.10.06.680288

Investigating the effect of channel pruning on functional near-infrared spectroscopy data collected from children aged 5-24 months

Beaton, S.·Blanco, B.·Bulgarelli, C.·Elwell, C. E.·Lloyd-Fox, S.·Mbye, E.·McCann, S.·Blasi Ribera, A.·Moore, S. E.
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Abstract

SignificanceInfant functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data are particularly vulnerable to noise; participant behaviour can result in motion artefacts and reduced set-up times can cause poor optode coupling. Accurate channel pruning is therefore essential but approaches vary and often use adult-derived thresholds, risking unnecessary data loss. AimThis work systematically compared pruning approaches and parameter choices to evaluate their effects on data quality and retention in infant fNIRS. ApproachData from 5-24 month-old infants were collected across two cohorts, using two paradigms. Channel pruning was performed using the coefficient of variation (CV) and the Quality Testing of Near Infrared Scans (QT-NIRS) tool, varying key thresholds. Multilevel models assessed effects of pruning method, parameter choice, age, motion, and testing site on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and channels retained. ResultsQT-NIRS produced significantly higher SNR than CV pruning across nearly all age, task, and cohort combinations, when matched for data retention. Higher QT-NIRS thresholds improved quality but reduced retention. Motion prevalence strongly reduced both SNR and retention; testing site and age had smaller but notable effects. ConclusionsQT-NIRS offers a better balance of data quality and retention than CV pruning. Lower QT-NIRS thresholds than adult defaults are recommended for infant data. These findings provide practical guidance for preprocessing pipelines in developmental fNIRS research.

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Beaton, S., Blanco, B., Bulgarelli, C., Elwell, C. E., Lloyd-Fox, S., Mbye, E., McCann, S., Blasi Ribera, A., Moore, S. E.. 2025-10-07. Investigating the effect of channel pruning on functional near-infrared spectroscopy data collected from children aged 5-24 months. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.06.680288

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