Grant: Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA)

"Brain-related disorders are on the rise in Canada and studies show that Black, racialized, immigrants, 2SLGBTQI+ and Indigenous Canadians are disproportionally affected by depression. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that is a promising treatment for depression. To precisely find a stimulation target within the brain, the gold-standard method consists of individual functional localization using fMRI. However, fMRI is costly and difficult to access which presents accessibility barriers for use in TMS treatment services for mental health disorders, especially for underrepresented groups. As an alternative to fMRI, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) uses non-invasive light to monitor cerebral hemodynamic activity. The combination of fNIRS with TMS application is an approach that mitigates the challenges of fMRI. Sensitivity of fNIRS is decreased for darker pigmented skin tones due to melanin pigment absorption in the skin. Our goal is to examine skin tone bias in infrared devices to improve the sensitivity of optical technologies for darker skin tones. Participants will: have their skin photographed to develop AI tools for assigning skin tone; view photos of different skin tones and match them to colour charts to assess accuracy of AI predictions; and have their blood oxygen levels measured non-invasively using fNIRS, pulse oximetry, and Apple Watch to assess the relationship between skin tone and sensitivity. Overall, this research will develop algorithms to predict the infrared light intensity needed to obtain accurate and sensitive blood oxygen levels used in fNIRS for darker skin tones. "