Developing Best Practices for Inclusion in fNIRS Research: Equity for Participants With Afro-Textured Hair.

Overview

Authors: Abria S Simmons¹, Gavkhar Abdurokhmonova¹, Ellie K Taylor‐Robinette¹, Rachel R Romeo¹

University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

Institutions: University of Maryland, College Park (United States)

Journal: Developmental psychobiology, volume 68, issue 2, article e70134

Dates: received 30 January 2025; accepted 22 January 2026; published online 5 February 2026; in print March 2026

Type: Review · Language: English

License: CC BY

Identifiers: DOI 10.1002/dev.70134 · PMID 41645562 · PMCID PMC12877426 · OpenAlex W7127943837

Open access: hybrid, a free copy (OpenAlex)

Status: data only

Categories: fMRI (modality), fNIRS (modality), human (organism), clinical / translational (subfield)

Methods: Statistics

Keywords: Afro‐textured hair, best practices, fNIRS, inclusion

MeSH: Black or African American*, Functional Neuroimaging*, Hair*, Patient Selection*, Adult, Child, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Female, Humans, Male, Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared, Young Adult (* major topic)

Topic: Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques (Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging, Medicine), according to OpenAlex

Funding: NICHD NIH HHS (R00 HD103873); National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R00‐HD103873)

Citations: cited by 4 papers (Europe PMC); 65 references in the paper

Abstract

Functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a popular optical neuroimaging method; however, participants with Afro‐textured (i.e., dark, coarse, curly) hair are often excluded due to difficulty obtaining sensor–scalp contact. Grounded in lived experience and sociocultural literature, we aimed to develop and evaluate culturally responsive best practices for participant interaction and hair preparation to increase Black participant inclusion in fNIRS research. First, we developed an intake survey, guidelines for researcher staffing and training, and a suite of customizable hair preparation techniques that prioritize participant comfort and hair integrity. We then evaluated these techniques with 19 Black participants (11 adults, eight children) with varying hair types/styles; methods included braiding cornrows around the intended optode montage, using gels and clips to part hair, and various ways of increasing tension to promote sensor–scalp contact. On average, signal quality improved by 50%, with the greatest improvements in anterior regions. While signal quality was not perfect, it was generally improved to the point of acceptability and inclusion in a racially/ethnically diverse dataset (with hair type/color as covariates). We conclude with recommendations for increasing awareness of racial bias in neuroimaging, greater diversity in research teams, and a more inclusive approach for working with diverse populations.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

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Data

Datasets cited

osf:hsu45, at OSF; found in “Data Availability Statement”

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in OSF at https://osf.io/hsu45/.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 4 authors, 4 keywords, 12 MeSH terms, 2 funders, 47 references.

Cite

This paper

Simmons, A. S., Abdurokhmonova, G., Taylor‐Robinette, E. K., & Romeo, R. R. (2026). Developing Best Practices for Inclusion in fNIRS Research: Equity for Participants With Afro-Textured Hair. Developmental psychobiology, 68(2), e70134. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.70134

BibTeX

@article{simmons2026developing, author = {Simmons, Abria S and Abdurokhmonova, Gavkhar and Taylor‐Robinette, Ellie K and Romeo, Rachel R}, title = {{Developing Best Practices for Inclusion in fNIRS Research: Equity for Participants With Afro-Textured Hair}}, journal = {Developmental psychobiology}, year = {2026}, month = mar, volume = {68}, number = {2}, pages = {e70134}, publisher = {Wiley}, issn = {0012-1630}, doi = {10.1002/dev.70134}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.70134}, pmid = {41645562}, pmcid = {PMC12877426} }

RIS

TY - JOUR AU - Simmons, Abria S AU - Abdurokhmonova, Gavkhar AU - Taylor‐Robinette, Ellie K AU - Romeo, Rachel R TI - Developing Best Practices for Inclusion in fNIRS Research: Equity for Participants With Afro-Textured Hair T2 - Developmental psychobiology J2 - Dev Psychobiol PY - 2026 DA - 2026/03/01 VL - 68 IS - 2 SP - e70134 SN - 0012-1630 PB - Wiley DO - 10.1002/dev.70134 UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.70134 LA - en ER -

CSL-JSON

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