Near infrared brain imaging deviceNIRS stands out in the rehabilitation assessment of motor dysfunction caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, and other conditions due to its non-invasive, real-time, and portable features. It quantifies brain function remodeling during the process of motor function recovery by monitoring changes in blood oxygen levels in brain regions related to motor activity, such as the primary motor cortex M1 and the auxiliary motor area SMA. This provides an objective basis for optimizing rehabilitation plans and evaluating therapeutic effects, filling the subjective limitations of traditional behavioral assessments.

　　1、 Core evaluation dimension: Quantifying dynamic changes in brain function

Assessment of activation intensity of motor brain regions: NIRS can monitor real-time changes in blood oxygen saturation (HbO ₂) in the M1 region when patients perform active motor tasks such as finger grasping and limb lifting. In the early stage of motor dysfunction, the activation intensity of M1 area on the damaged side is significantly lower than that on the healthy side (HbO ₂ amplification difference>30%); With the progress of rehabilitation, the activation intensity gradually increases, and the compensatory activation on the healthy side weakens (for example, after 3 months of rehabilitation in stroke patients, the difference in M1 activation between the two sides is reduced to less than 10%), which can be used as a core quantitative indicator of motor function recovery.

Assessment of functional connectivity in brain regions: For complex movements such as gait training, NIRS can simultaneously monitor the strength of functional connectivity between the M1 region and SMA, as well as the parietal lobe motor region. Patients with poor functional recovery have low synchronicity of cerebral blood oxygen signals (correlation coefficient<0.3); When the rehabilitation is effective, the connection coefficient increases to 0.5 or above, reflecting the reconstruction efficiency of the motor control network, which can better predict the recovery potential in advance than simple behavioral evaluation (such as muscle strength grading).

　　2、 Key application scenarios: covering the entire rehabilitation cycle

Early rehabilitation: Baseline assessment and protocol development: Upon admission, the patient's resting and task state brain functional basis was evaluated using NIRS. For example, in patients with spinal cord injury, if there is basal activation in the M1 area (resting HbO ₂ fluctuation<5%), it indicates that the motor cortex has not been completely deactivated, and an active exercise training program can be prioritized; If activation is missing, it is necessary to start with passive movement combined with neural electrical stimulation to avoid brain function inhibition caused by blind training.

Mid stage rehabilitation: dynamic monitoring of therapeutic effects: NIRS reexamination is conducted every 2-4 weeks to compare changes in brain activation and functional connectivity. If the increase in M1 activation after training is less than 5% and there is no improvement in functional connectivity, the rehabilitation plan needs to be adjusted (such as increasing task difficulty or changing training modes); If the activation and connection are synchronized and improved, it indicates that the solution is adapted and can maintain the current training intensity, ensuring greater rehabilitation efficiency.

Late stage rehabilitation: prognostic assessment and discharge guidance: In the late stage of rehabilitation, NIRS evaluates the stability of brain function under exercise tasks. If the patient's brain activation fluctuation during maximum intensity exercise is ≤ 8% and the functional connectivity is stable, it indicates that the exercise control network has matured and the prognosis is good. A home maintenance training plan can be developed; If the activation is still unstable, the rehabilitation period should be extended to reduce the risk of functional degradation after discharge.

　　3、 Technical advantage: Adapt to rehabilitation assessment needs

Non invasive safety: No radiation or invasive procedures required, can be frequently used for children and elderly patients, single assessment only takes 10-20 minutes, compatible with bedside, rehabilitation training sites and other scenarios;

Real time feedback: Generate real-time maps of blood oxygen changes in brain regions, allowing doctors to visually observe brain function responses during training, adjust training pace in a timely manner, and avoid brain function damage caused by excessive fatigue;

Objective quantification: The evaluation results based on blood oxygen data avoid the bias of "subjective scoring by doctors" in traditional evaluations, provide traceable objective basis for rehabilitation efficacy, and help standardize the development of rehabilitation medicine.

The near-infrared brain imaging instrument provides a complete perspective from brain to behavior for the evaluation of motor function recovery by linking "brain function changes" with "improvement of motor behavior", promoting the transformation of rehabilitation evaluation from "experience driven" to "data-driven", significantly improving the accuracy of rehabilitation plans and the reliability of prognosis prediction.