Patent ID: 8406838

Claim:
An apparatus for evaluating biological function comprising: a plurality of living body probes provided with light-emitting elements for irradiating light to specified sites of a living body and light-receiving elements for receiving and detecting light exiting the living body; an apparatus body for entering light information detected by said living body probe and behavioral information of said living body measured in response to said living body being given a task to perform, and performing calculation, control and memory operations, and utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate biological function, said apparatus body comprising: a controller for calculating, based on light information from said living body probe, a variety of parameters derived from two-dimensional diagrams, wherein each diagram shows at least one of: the relationship between amounts of change in oxyhemoglobin and amounts of change in deoxyhemoglobin is inclined 45 degrees to show the relationship between amounts of change in oxygen saturation and amounts of change in total hemoglobin concentration, and the relationship between absolute amounts of oxyhemoglobin and absolute amounts of deoxyhemoglobin is inclined 45 degrees to show the relationship between absolute oxygen saturation and absolute total hemoglobin concentration; a behavioral information input part for entering behavioral information of said living body measured in response to said living body being given a task to perform; and a display part for performing various types of image displays based on various parameters calculated by means of said controller and/or behavioral information entered in said behavioral information input part.