What is a fMRI and what will it show?

Question

What is a fMRI and what will it show?

Answer 1

An fMRI stands for functional magnetic resonancy image. It is used primarily for research purposes to identify regional changes in blood flow. The most common technique is called BOLD which uses differences in the magnetic properties of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood to identify which regions of the brain are active. It is useful for identifying which areas of the brain are required to perform certain tasks like working memory.

Answer 2

Functional MRI or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a type of specialized MRI scan. It measures the haemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging. Since the early 1990s, fMRI has come to dominate the brain mapping field due to its low invasiveness, lack of radiation exposure, and relatively wide availability.