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World J Psychiatry. Mar 19, 2026; 16(3): 112056
Published online Mar 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.112056
Published online Mar 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.112056
Innovations and approaches in depression detection via functional near-infrared spectroscopy
Wen-Tao Li, Yu-Mei Wan, Wei Miao, Rui Zhong, Qing-Xiang Wang, Yun-Shao Zheng, Shandong Mental Health Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250014, Shandong Province, China
Qian Gao, Faculty of Computer Science and Technology, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250300, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Wen-Tao Li and Yu-Mei Wan.
Co-corresponding authors: Qing-Xiang Wang and Yun-Shao Zheng.
Author contributions: Li WT and Wan YM contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors. Wang QX and Zheng YS contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-corresponding authors. Li WT, Wan YM, Wang QX, and Zheng YS designed the research study; Zhong R, Miao W, and Gao Q conducted literature retrieval; Li WT and Wan YM summarized and analyzed relevant literature; Zheng YS, Wan YM, and Miao W provided medical knowledge; Li WT and Wan YM were responsible for writing and revising the manuscript; Wang QX and Zheng YS reviewed the manuscript and approved its publication. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Shandong Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology, No. 202303090824; Science and Technology Development Plan of Jinan (Clinical Medicine Science and Technology Innovation Plan), No. 202225054; Shandong Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology, No. 202203090935; and Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, No. ZR2022MF333.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Qing-Xiang Wang, Shandong Mental Health Center, Shandong University, No. 49 Wenhua East Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong Province, China.
Received: July 17, 2025
Revised: August 27, 2025
Accepted: December 10, 2025
Published online: March 19, 2026
Processing time: 225 Days and 15.5 Hours
Revised: August 27, 2025
Accepted: December 10, 2025
Published online: March 19, 2026
Processing time: 225 Days and 15.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy shows great potential in depression research: It captures prefrontal oxygenation deficits at rest and emotional/cognitive activation abnormalities during tasks, offering quantifiable biomarkers for diagnosis, differentiation, and severity assessment. Despite challenges like limited spatial resolution and unstandardized tasks, combining with advanced algorithms and large samples may enable its key role in early screening, mechanism analysis, and precise treatment, advancing objective, quantitative diagnosis.