NIRS fNIRS at SfN 2026 - Artinis  NIRx and Decolonial Neuroscience in Latin America

Wearable brain imaging, EEG-fNIRS and hyperscanning — new technologies, nuevas preguntas, novos territórios para a Neurociência Latino-Americana.

SfN 2026 | November 14–18 | Washington, D.C. | BrainLatam


NIRS fNIRS SfN 2026 Artinis NIRx

1. What if neuroscience could follow life as it happens?

Imagine five people solving a problem together. One speaks, another disagrees, someone changes direction, and suddenly a new solution emerges.

What changes in their brains? What happens to attention, movement, breathing and cortical oxygenation?

The development of NIRS and fNIRS technologies is expanding opportunities to investigate brain activity during naturalistic behavior.

For SfN 2026, BrainLatam connects research technologies from Artinis and NIRx with a larger scientific challenge: how can Latin America contribute new experimental questions to global neuroscience?

Our existing SfN 2026 EEG, NIRS, fNIRS and hyperscanning coverage introduces multimodal measurements and social interaction.

This hub connects the instruments, methodologies and research possibilities.

Decolonial Neuroscience — Neurociência Decolonial — Neurociencia Decolonial: expanding scientific participation without abandoning experimental rigor.

2. What are NIRS and fNIRS?

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) uses near-infrared light to investigate tissue optical properties and oxygenation.

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) measures changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin associated with cortical hemodynamic activity.

Unlike EEG, fNIRS does not directly record neuronal electrical activity. It measures slower physiological responses that can be associated with neural processes.

En español, estudiamos cambios hemodinámicos corticales. Em português, investigamos alterações da oxigenação cerebral durante tarefas cognitivas e comportamentais.

Explore BrainLatam's NIRS technology and research resources, NIRS and fNIRS introduction and NIRS LATAM editorial collection.

The central challenge is distinguishing neural-associated responses from movement artifacts, superficial circulation and systemic physiological changes.

Better measurements begin with better questions.

3. Artinis Brite Family: wearable fNIRS research

The Artinis Brite Family includes wearable fNIRS configurations designed for different cortical regions, research populations and experimental environments.

The Brite MKIV provides configurable measurements with up to 27 channels per device, depending on the optode arrangement.

Other configurations include Brite Frontal, Brite Lite and BabyBrite, which address different requirements for portability, cortical coverage and participant comfort.

For broader measurements, MultiBrite and TetraBrite combine multiple devices in synchronized arrangements.

Researchers investigating complementary muscular measurements can explore BrainLatam's Artinis NIRS, fNIRS and high-density EMG resources.

A scientific instrument should adapt to the experiment, not dictate which questions researchers are allowed to ask.

Explore: Artinis Brite Family and Brite MKIV.

4. Brite Ultra: hyperscanning with up to 30 participants

What happens when the object of research is not one individual but an interacting group?

The Artinis Brite Ultra enables synchronized fNIRS hyperscanning involving up to 30 participants.

This makes group experiments possible in education, collaborative problem-solving, music, social interaction and structured collective activities.

Could participants display different cortical hemodynamic patterns during cooperation, competition or spontaneous coordination?

BrainLatam explores related hypotheses in fNIRS hyperscanning and collective dynamics in football.

Interbrain synchronization must not be confused with proof of collective consciousness. Common stimuli, movement and systemic physiology can contribute to statistical coupling.

From individual measurements to group research — do UM ao NÓS — del individuo al colectivo.

Explore the Artinis Brite Ultra research platform.

5. NIRx NIRSport2: mobile fNIRS and multimodal recordings

The NIRx NIRSport2 supports wearable fNIRS research involving movement, cognition and naturalistic experimental protocols.

Its configurable instrumentation and synchronization capabilities enable integration with other measurements when supported by the selected configuration.

Combining optical measurements with EEG, respiration, ECG, behavioral events or movement sensors can provide complementary perspectives on physiological dynamics.

BrainLatam's NIRS, fNIRS and NIRx research introduction connects researchers with equipment information and experimental planning.

The site's NIRSport equipment resource also documents the development of wearable NIRS technology.

Researchers should distinguish current NIRSport2 specifications from those of older NIRSport generations.

Explore: NIRx NIRSport2.

6. NIRScout2: high-density and laboratory-based fNIRS

Some research questions demand laboratory-based instrumentation, broad cortical coverage and flexible multimodal integration.

NIRx NIRScout2 offers a modular, fiber-coupled platform for high-density fNIRS and demanding research configurations.

Its potential applications include concurrent EEG, fMRI and other synchronized modalities, depending on equipment compatibility.

BrainLatam's NIRScout fNIRS technical hub provides additional information about optical configurations, recording requirements and research applications.

For laboratories investigating complex cortical dynamics, instrumentation must be selected according to sensitivity, channels, sampling requirements and experimental design.

Explore: NIRScout2.

7. EEG-fNIRS: connecting electrical activity and hemodynamics

EEG and fNIRS investigate complementary dimensions of brain physiology.

EEG captures electrical potentials with high temporal resolution. fNIRS captures comparatively slower hemodynamic changes.

Combined recordings can support studies of attention, motor behavior, cognitive workload, learning and social interaction.

BrainLatam's EEG electrode integration resources introduce instrumentation considerations.

The multimodal fNIRS-fMRI resource illustrates another experimental integration pathway.

Synchronization does not make different physiological signals interchangeable.

Multimodal neuroscience — neurociência multimodal — neurociencia multimodal requires explicit hypotheses, appropriate controls and reproducible analysis.

8. Hyperscanning: how do two or more brains interact?

Hyperscanning investigates signals recorded simultaneously from multiple participants during shared experiences.

But cooperation is not the same as imitation. Being together does not automatically mean acting together.

BrainLatam explores this distinction in Aprendizaje por imitación versus co-presencia.

Another experimental perspective appears in O que acontece entre dois cérebros quando começamos a agir juntos?.

Possible protocols compare individual performance, instructed coordination, reciprocal interaction and collective decision-making.

Researchers must consider task difficulty, shared sensory stimulation, movement, physiological coupling and appropriate statistical controls.

Research together. Pesquisar juntos. Investigar juntos.

9. Decolonial Neuroscience: from laboratory to territory

Latin American neuroscience operates across diverse languages, ecosystems, educational contexts and cultural traditions.

Why should experimental questions emerge from only a narrow range of populations and laboratory environments?

A decolonial perspective invites researchers to examine participant representation, instrument accessibility, culturally relevant experimental designs and the production of scientific knowledge.

BrainLatam develops these questions in Free Latin America: Decolonial Neuroscience with NIRS-EEG Hyperscanning.

Our UFABC article on mobile fNIRS and everyday life extends the discussion toward research beyond conventional laboratories.

Corpo-Território and Jiwasa are conceptual proposals for investigating relationships between individuals, environments and shared agency.

They are not established physiological measurements.

Scientific value emerges when such ideas inspire testable, ethically designed experiments.

10. NeuroDesafio LATAM: education and future research

The NeuroDesafio LATAM connects neuroscience education with regional scientific participation.

BrainLatam supports this initiative as part of its commitment to strengthening neuroscience across Latin America.

Scientific capacity begins with curiosity, education and opportunities to participate.

A future generation of researchers could develop experiments involving learning, social interaction, movement and cognitive development in their own communities.

NeuroDesafio LATAM — conocimiento, ciência e collaboration.

Explore the NeuroDesafio LATAM initiative.

11. SfN 2026: new connections for Latin American neuroscience

The Society for Neuroscience annual meeting takes place November 14–18, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

For BrainLatam, this meeting creates opportunities to strengthen collaborations involving Artinis, NIRx, wearable imaging and multimodal research.

Our ongoing discussions concerning the Artinis Brite family reflect an interest in expanding regional research access and scientific support.

The objective extends beyond commercial distribution: training, experimental design, technical expertise and long-term collaboration matter.

SfN 2026 is a meeting point. Latin America is a source of scientific questions.

12. Explore, collaborate and discover

Visit the BrainLatam research hubs and BrainTV NIRS educational content to continue exploring neuroscience technologies.

Whether your institution studies individual cognition, rehabilitation, learning or large-group hyperscanning, we welcome conversations about research requirements and scientific collaboration.

BrainLatam | Artinis & NIRx | NIRS · fNIRS · EEG · Hyperscanning

Decolonial Neuroscience — Ciência com nossos territórios — Ciencia desde América Latina.

What neuroscience questions could Latin America contribute to the world?