History of Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Trip Down Memory Lane

• Published in: Neuroscience Vol. 474; pp. 3 - 13
• Main Authors: Viard, Armelle, Eustache, Francis, Segobin, Shailendra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15.10.2021
• Subjects: Alzheimer’s disease; diffusion tensor imaging; functional MRI; memory; semantic dementia; structural MRI; functional MRI; diffusion tensor imaging; memory; structural MRI; Alzheimer’s disease; semantic dementia
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.06.038

•History of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).•History of studies in human memory and theoretical models.•Advent and evolution of MRI shapes memory understanding and brain function in humans.•Diagnostic value for memory pathologies. The history of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is closely linked to our improved understanding of memory systems, be it in normal functioning or altered due to pathologies. Over the years, brain imaging using MRI has moved from simple volumetric imaging to complex analysis using multiple sequences, allowing the measurement of microstructural integrity and brain activation through a dedicated task or at rest. This review aims at showing how the advent and evolution of magnetic resonance imaging has shaped a better understanding of memory and brain function in humans. We will give a brief overview on the history of MRI, how its evolution brought about concomitant improvement in our understanding of memory systems, going from final-stage observation to risk-prediction via the detection of subtle, but important, alterations in normal brain functioning.