Functional MRI

A window on brain function

Advances in imaging technology are changing the way neuroscientists, clinicians and surgeons see the brain.

Imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analyze structure. But newer imaging methods — specifically, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) — are being used to map the brain and identify specific areas of important brain function.

As an imaging tool, fMRI can give a clearer picture of the brain in action and what brain tissue is relevant to accomplishing a given task, whether that be raising your hand or reading a sentence.

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