A brief introduction about functional MRI

• Published in: Nihon Rōnen Igakkai zasshi Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 1 - 6
• Main Author: Kaminaga, Tatsuro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan The Japan Geriatrics Society 2006
• Subjects: Brain - physiology; Brain mapping; Brain Mapping - methods; Electroencephalography; fMRI; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - standards; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; SPM
• ISSN: 0300-9173
• DOI: 10.3143/geriatrics.43.1

fMRI (functional MRI) is a major tool to study the location of sites in the human brain. It has a time resolution of several seconds and spatial resolution on the order of 1mm and is superior to other tools for studying functional sites in the human brain in area recognition inside the brain. Simultaneous use with electroencephalography and near-infrared spectroscopy improves the time resolution. To plan and perform fMRI studies, and to interpret the resulting data, various skills are required. These include knowledge of the task design and processing the fMRI data, mainly with statistical parametric mapping. In addition, it is desirable for the result to be verified by another method such as positron emission tomography. To protect the safety of the subject, it is extremely important to know the contraindications of exposing the subject to a strong magnetic field. Many epoch making results have been reported in the field of human brain mapping using fMRI and this method continues to provide excellent results if it is performed carefully by a team of professionals in various fields.