{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T01:25:32Z","timestamp":1792805132354,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":86,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]],"date-time":"2025-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753142400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"ROMGAZ S.A","award":["43956\/29.11.2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["43956\/29.11.2023"]}]},{"name":"ROMGAZ S.A","award":["6013\/22.12.2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["6013\/22.12.2023"]}]},{"name":"Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu through the HPI-ULBS","award":["43956\/29.11.2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["43956\/29.11.2023"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/026gdz537","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu through the HPI-ULBS","award":["6013\/22.12.2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["6013\/22.12.2023"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/026gdz537","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Association of the \u201cDR. GHEORGHE PREDA\u201d Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, Sibiu","award":["43956\/29.11.2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["43956\/29.11.2023"]}]},{"name":"Association of the \u201cDR. GHEORGHE PREDA\u201d Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, Sibiu","award":["6013\/22.12.2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["6013\/22.12.2023"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objective: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique with growing relevance in psychiatry. Its ability to measure cortical hemodynamics positions it as a potential tool for monitoring neurofunctional changes related to treatment. However, the specific features and level of consistency of its use in clinical psychiatric settings remain unclear. A scoping review was conducted under PRISMA-ScR guidelines to systematically map how fNIRS has been used in monitoring treatment response among individuals with psychiatric disorders. Methods: Forty-seven studies published between 2009 and 2025 were included based on predefined eligibility criteria. Data was extracted on publication trends, research design, sample characteristics, fNIRS paradigms, signal acquisition, preprocessing methods, and integration of clinical outcomes. Reported limitations and conflicts of interest were also analyzed. Results: The number of publications increased sharply after 2020, predominantly from Asia. Most studies used experimental designs, with 31.9% employing randomized controlled trials. Adults were the primary focus (93.6%), with verbal fluency tasks and DLPFC-targeted paradigms most common. Over half of the studies used high-density (&gt;32-channel) systems. However, only 44.7% reported motion correction procedures, and 53.2% did not report activation direction. Clinical outcome linkage was explicitly stated in only 12.8% of studies. Conclusions: Despite growing clinical interest, with fNIRS showing promise as a non-invasive neuroimaging tool for monitoring psychiatric treatment response, the current evidence base is limited by methodological variability and inconsistent outcome integration. There is a rising need for the adoption of standardized protocols for both design and reporting. Future research should also include longitudinal studies and multimodal approaches to enhance validity and clinical relevance.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14155197","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]],"date-time":"2025-07-22T15:00:42Z","timestamp":1753196442000},"page":"5197","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Applications of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in Monitoring Treatment Response in Psychiatry: A Scoping Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0029-7591","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ciprian-Ionu\u021b","family":"B\u01cecil\u01ce","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"},{"name":"Collective of Scientific Research in Neurosciences of the Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2508-3749","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela Mariana","family":"Marcu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Collective of Scientific Research in Neurosciences of the Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, \u201cLucian Blaga\u201d University of Sibiu, 550201 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6264-064X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bogdan Ioan","family":"Vintil\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"},{"name":"Collective of Scientific Research in Neurosciences of the Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"},{"name":"County Clinical Emergency Hospital of Sibiu, 550245 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia Elena","family":"Anghel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550169 Sibiu, Romania"},{"name":"Collective of Scientific Research in Neurosciences of the Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrei","family":"Lomnasan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-4221-8157","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Monica","family":"Cornea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andreea Maria","family":"Grama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Psychiatry Hospital \u201cDr. Gheorghe Preda\u201d, 550082 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2009.06.005","article-title":"Monitoring treatment response and outcomes using the World Health Organization\u2019s Wellbeing Index in psychiatric care","volume":"122","author":"Newnham","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. 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