@article{article_1677927, title={Applications of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in Sport Sciences: A Systematic Review}, journal={Uluslararası Egzersiz Psikolojisi Dergisi}, volume={7}, pages={9–27}, year={2025}, DOI={10.51538/intjourexerpsyc.1677927}, author={Çemç, Muhammed Sıddık and Gülen, Özgür}, keywords={Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), brain activation, cognitive performance, executive function, exercise neuroscience}, abstract={With advancing technological capabilities, neuroimaging techniques that analyze brain activity play a critical role in optimizing athletes’ cognitive and physical performance. In this context, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), with its ability to provide real-time measurements, emerges as an innovative tool bridging the fields of sport sciences and neuroscience. This systematic review aims to examine the use of fNIRS technology in sport sciences and identify its contributions to evaluating athletes’ cognitive performance and neurophysiological responses. Using the keywords "fNIRS," "sports," and "athletes," a systematic search was conducted in the Web of Science database to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles published between 2017 and 2024. A total of 35 studies were included based on their focus on cognitive performance, executive functions, and neurophysiological outcomes related to exercise or participation in sports. The reviewed studies demonstrate that fNIRS is an effective tool for enhancing cognitive performance, observing neurological adaptations, and understanding the acute and chronic effects of exercise. In conclusion, fNIRS stands out as an innovative technology in understanding cognitive and neurophysiological processes in sport sciences. Its portability and usability under field conditions offer extensive applications for improving athletes’ performance and preserving their neurological health. In the future, broader use of this technology in sport sciences—particularly in field-based testing, rehabilitation processes, and assessments involving young or elite athletes—and its integration with other neuroimaging techniques are expected to yield more comprehensive and context-specific findings.}, number={1}, publisher={Deniz BEDİR}