title: [Near-infrared spectroscopy as an auxiliary tool in the study of child development].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the applicability of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for cortical hemodynamic assessment tool as an aid in the study of child development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Search was conducted in the PubMed and Lilacs databases using the following keywords: "psychomotor performance/child development/growth and development/neurodevelopment/spectroscopy/near-infrared" and their equivalents in Portuguese and Spanish. The review was performed according to criteria established by Cochrane and search was limited to 2003 to 2013. English, Portuguese and Spanish were included in the search.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 484 articles, 19 were selected: 17 cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies, published in non-Brazilian journals. The analyzed articles were grouped in functional and non-functional studies of child development. Functional studies addressed the object processing, social skills development, language and cognitive development. Non-functional studies discussed the relationship between cerebral oxygen saturation and neurological outcomes, and the comparison between the cortical hemodynamic response of preterm and term newborns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NIRS has become an increasingly feasible alternative and a potentially useful technique for studying functional activity of the infant brain.
authors: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. Electronic address: sufmg@yahoo.com.br.
authors: Suelen Rosa de
authors: SR
authors: Oliveira
authors: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors: Ana Carolina Cabral de Paula
authors: AC
authors: Machado
authors: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors: Débora Marques de
authors: DM
authors: Miranda
authors: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors: Flávio Dos Santos
authors: Fdos S
authors: Campos
authors: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors: Cristina Oliveira
authors: CO
authors: Ribeiro
authors: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors: Lívia de Castro
authors: Lde C
authors: Magalhães
authors: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors: Maria Cândida Ferrarez
authors: MC
authors: Bouzada
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000254:growth & development; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared
keywords: Child development; Desenvolvimento infantil; Espectroscopia de luz próxima ao infravermelho; Hemodynamics; Processos hemodinâmicos; Spectroscopy Near‐infrared